Box Score Game 1
Box Score Game 2

TACOMA, Wash. - After taking the opener 7-4 with a three-run outburst in the top of the 7th, the 21st-ranked George Fox University Bruins rallied from four down with six outs left for a thrilling 8-7 eight-inning second-game win over the University of Puget Sound Loggers to remain atop the Northwest Conference baseball standings Sunday afternoon here at Logger Field.

The Bruins improved to 29-8 overall and 24-4 in the NWC, while UPS fell to 12-19 and 9-14.  Pacific Lutheran University (27-8, NWC 23-5) remained one game back of the Bruins by sweeping Whitman College 16-6 and 17-4 on the road.  Linfield College (27-9, NWC 21-7) slipped three games off the pace with another split at home against Willamette University, winning 13-1 before falling 4-3.  The conference race will be decided next Saturday and Sunday when UPS visits PLU and George Fox hosts Linfield in back-to-back doubleheaders.

In the first game, the Loggers got on the board in the 1st when Will Mentor grounded out to second to score Dakota Resnik and Matt Cox hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Doug Cox.  The Bruins got one back on a solo home run by Seth Anderson in the top of the 2nd, his third of the year, but the Loggers answered with an RBI single by Andrew Grady to score Casey Coberly in the home half.

The Bruins tied it in the top of the 5th on a two-run single by Dan Winterstein, followed by an Anderson double that scored Winterstein from first for a 4-3 GFU lead.  The Loggers evened it in the 6th with an RBI single by Gregg Ringold that scored David Thirlby.

In the 7th, Winterstein walked, Anderson singled to left, and Jason Brown walked to load the bases with one out.  Perry Knudson singled through the right side to score Winterstein and Anderson with the go-ahead runs, and Taylor Hunter's single to right scored Brown.

Mark Putney (3-0) collected the win for George Fox, allowing four runs on six hits in six innings with four strikeouts and two walks.  Chad Jones tied the Bruin record for saves in a season with his sixth, allowing one hit in the final inning but striking out the side.  Colby Robinson (1-4) took the loss for Puget Sound, allowing three runs on one hit in 1.1 innings of relief.

Anderson was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs to lead the Bruins.  Resnik and Ringold had two hits apiece for the Loggers.

In the nightcap, the Bruins struck first when Kyle Kuenzi scored on a passed ball in the top of the 1st, but the Loggers responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead back.  Resnik led off with a double and scored when pitcher Jeremy Cheney threw away Travis Hernandez's sacrifice bunt.  Mentor doubled and Matt Cox singled to left to plate Hernandez, then Mentor scored on Doug Cox's grounder to second.

Eric Gantenbein singled in Anderson with an unearned run for the Bruins in the top of the 2nd, but the Loggers scored a trio of runs yet again in the bottom of the 2nd, two of them coming on a mammoth home run by Mark Rockey, his 12th of the season.  Matt Wyckoff singled in Hunter in the 4th to cut the deficit to 6-3, but an RBI single by Ringold scored Doug Cox in the 5th as the Loggers went up by four again.

The Bruins began to chip away at the Logger lead in the top of the 6th, using a two-run home run by Wyckoff, his ninth of the year, and an RBI double by Anderson to get within one run at 7-6.  In the 7th, Todd Siler drew a lead-off walk and was sacrificed to second by Brent Trask.  Hunter beat out an infield single, sending Siler to third, before Kuenzi knotted the game 7-7 with a single to left.  Wyckoff's single to right filled the bases, but Thunell bounced into a 6-4-3 double play, setting up extra innings.

Given new life, the Bruins plated the winning run in the top of the 8th.  Cody Curtin was hit by a pitch to lead off, was sacrificed to second by Winterstein, and went to third on Anderson's single to short.  Siler then delivered a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Curtin.

Jones (5-1) picked up the win with two perfect innings in relief of Travis Schroder, fanning three. Schroeder threw four innings, allowing only two hits and one run with three strikeouts and a walk, giving his offense a chance to come back. He and Jones retired the last 10 hitters in a row. Robinson (1-5) again took the loss after coming on to get the last out in the 7th.

Wyckoff, who had a 28-game hitting streak - one short of the Bruin record - snapped when he went 0-for-1 with three walks, one intentional, in the opener, made up for it by going 4-for-5 with three RBIs to lead a 15-hit assault.  Hunter went 4-for-4 and scored twice, while Kuenzi and Anderson had two hits apiece.  Resnik and Mentor collected two hits each for the Loggers.

George Fox hosts Linfield Saturday for two at 12:00 noon, while Puget Sound hosts the University of British Columbia Wednesday in the Loggers' final home game before going to Pacific Lutheran for the weekend.