PARKLAND, Wash. - Gift-wrapping two last at-bat wins for Pacific Lutheran University with uncharacteristic porous defense and 11 walks, the George Fox University Bruins suffered heart-breaking 6-5 and 7-6 losses, the latter in 10 innings, to the Lutes in a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday here at PLU Field.

It was the conference opener for both teams.  Pacific Lutheran, the pre-season NWC favorite and No. 17 team in the nation, is now 11-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference, while George Fox, the defending conference co-champion, falls to 6-7 overall and 0-2 in league play.

In the opener, the Bruins spotted the Lutes a unearned run in the 2nd, then jumped ahead with three in the 3rd, the big blow a two-run single by Dan Winterstein.  They added a fourth run in the 7th on singles by Eric Gantenbein and Nate Hickok, a sacrifice, and a run-scoring ground out by Sam Stahl.

Mark Putney worked six innings for the Bruins, spacing five hits with four strikeouts and three walks, before turning the game over to ace closer Chad Jones (1-1) for the 7th.  The Lutes promptly scored three unearned runs to tie it 4-4 on three hits and two Bruin errors, one of six they made in the game.

George Fox took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 9th after PLU starter Trey Watt hit back-to-back hitters to put two on with none out. After a throwing error on an attempted pickoff, Jason Brown drove in Derek Aldrich with a sacrifice fly to left off reliever Nic Delikat (1-0).

Josh Takayoshi started the Lutes' comeback in the last of the 9th with a one-out double off Jones.  Ryan Aratani singled to right to load the bases following a Ben Shively walk, but Jones struck out power-hitting Brock Gates swinging for the second out.  Ryan Frost's routine chopper to second base appeared as if it would end the game, but Josh Burch threw wide to Stahl covering second for an error and Aratani scored the tying run.  Ethan Ottemiller then drove in Shively with the game-winner on a single to right-center.

Burch and Hickok had two hits apiece for the Bruins, while Dan Johansen and Takayoshi had three hits and Aratani two for the Lutes. 

In the nightcap, PLU scored two unearned runs in the 1st off Bruin starter Jeremy Cheney, who settled down to go six innings with five hits allowed, no more runs, seven strikeouts and three walks.  The Bruins evened it in the 5th against the Lutes' Robert Bleecker, who went eight innings, allowing four hits with seven K's and three walks.  Josh Rapacz and Gantenbein singled around an Aldrich ground out, Rapacz scored on a balk, and Burch singled in Gantenbein with the equalizer.

Travis Schroeder worked three scoreless innings in relief for the Bruins and Nathan Eisenhauer retired the Bruins in order in the 9th, sending the game to extra innings.  The Bruins then exploded in the top of the 10th.  Josh Rapacz led off with a double and Eisenhauer hit Gantenbein with a pitch one out later, then Hickok singled to load the bases.  Burch forced Rapacz at the plate with a hard ground ball to Shively at third, but Stahl drove a 3-2 pitch into left for a bases-clearing double. Winterstein brought Stahl home with a single to left off Paul DiPietro (2-0) to give the Bruins a seemingly safe 6-2 lead.

Takayoshi again sparked a PLU rally with a leadoff hit, this time a single up the middle off Schroeder, and Shively reached base on the Bruins' ninth error on the day and third in the second game. Aratani walked to load the bases and Gates worked back from a 1-2 count to earn a walk and bring home a run.  

After pitching nearly three innings in the first game, Jones (1-2) again came in to pitch for George Fox and walked Jaron Iwakami to force in another run.  Ottemiller then singled to left to bring home Gates and Aratani to tie the game.  Corey Moore loaded the bases on a bunt single, and Iwakami scored the improbable winning run on Sammy Davis' walk-off single up the middle.

Rapacz and Hickok for the Bruins and Davis and Takayoshi for the Lutes had two hits apiece in the second game.  

The George Fox defensive struggles were the key for PLU in both games as nine of the Lutes' 13 runs were unearned, including all six in the first game. Pacific Lutheran did not score an earned run until the 19th inning of the day, the final inning of the second game.

The Bruins and Lutes will conclude the three-game series Sunday with a single game at 11:00 a.m.  The George Fox starter is tentative, as No. 3 hurler Clay Gartner is home in Newberg with a tender elbow.