Box Score

HILO, Hawai'i – Settling for a split of their season-opening four-game series, the George Fox University Bruins dropped an 11-7 offensive battle to the NCAA Division II University of Hawai'i-Hilo Vulcans in a non-conference baseball game Saturday afternoon here at Francis Wong Stadium.

Hilo banged out 14 hits and scored in five consecutive innings, from the 2nd through the 6th, to salvage the split.  George Fox collected 10 hits on the day, including the Bruins' first home run of the season, a solo shot by Pat Bailey leading off the top of the 2nd that started the scoring in the game.  The Bruins added another run in the frame when Brett Tallman singled in Seth Anderson.

The Vulcans took the lead with three runs in the home half of the 2nd, Matt Haasenritter doubling in one and Thomas Brown doubling home two more.  An RBI single by Peter Rodgers and a run-producing double by Gary Jones upped the Hilo lead to 5-2 after three innings.

George Fox rallied with three of their own in the 4th, all unearned.  Anderson, who had reached on an error at short, scored on Cody Curtin's ground out, Tallman scored on a wild pitch, and Matt Wyckoff and Kyle Kuenzi worked a double steal with Kuenzi bringing in the tying run.

The Vulcans broke the tie in the bottom of the 4th to pin the loss on Bruin starter Travis Schroeder.  After Brown and Shane Kessel singled and Ronel Trias walked to load the bases, Keoni Manago drew a walk to force in the tie-breaker.  Kyle Johnson relieved and hit Rodgers with a pitch to push in another run, then walked Jones to force in the final run of the inning.

Hilo added an insurance run in the 5th and two more in the 6th.  George Fox got two of them back in the top of the 6th when right fielder Jones' throwing error to third on a single by Wyckoff allowed two runners to score.

Schroeder (0-1) worked 3.2 innings and surrendered eight runs, six earned, on eight hits.  Jeremy Cheney threw two innings of one-hit shutout ball for the Bruins to finish the game.  Tyler Simao (1-0), the middle of three Vulcan hurlers, picked up the win with three innings of three-hit ball, allowing two unearned runs, and John Holley closed with two innings of one-hit shutout relief.

George Fox (2-2) returns home to play its home opener Friday at 1:00 p.m. against Concordia University-Portland.  Hawai'i-Hilo (2-3) is off until Feb. 23, when the Vulcans will host the Academy of the Arts at 6:00 p.m.