NEWBERG, Ore. - Bringing the home portion of their 2010 baseball season to a disappointing conclusion, the George Fox University Bruins dropped a 10-3 decision in the finale of their three-game Northwest Conference series to the rampaging Linfield College Wildcats, who won all three games, Sunday afternoon here at Morse Field.

The Bruins fell to 23-14 overall and 16-8 in the NWC with the loss to their Yamhill County arch-rivals, who became the first team ever to sweep a conference series from the Bruins at Morse Field.  George Fox will finish third in the league standings.  The Wildcats improved to 27-10 and 17-4 in the NWC, remaining one game behind league-leading Pacific Lutheran University, 10-6 winners over Lewis & Clark College Saturday.  Linfield and PLU will play a three-game set in McMinnville, Ore., next Saturday-Sunday to determine the NWC champion and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

George Fox starter Jeremy Cheney was in serious trouble in each of the first two innings, walking the bases loaded twice though not allowing a hit.  He got out of the 1st unscathed by getting Rhett Fenton to ground out, and in the 2nd, he was yanked in favor of Travis Schroeder, who induced Dustin Smith to hit into an inning-ending a 4-6-3 twin killing with his first pitch.

Buoyed by their narrow escapes, the Bruins took their first lead of the series in the bottom of the 2nd as Jason Brown was hit by a pitch, went to third on a hit-and-run single by Dan Winterstein, and scored on Seth Anderson's sacrifice fly to right.  The lead was short-lived, however, as the Wildcats tied it in the 3rd when Kelson Brown singled, Cole Bixenman was hit by a pitch, and Fenton doubled down the left field line to score Brown.

The Wildcats took the lead for good in the 4th and pinned the loss on Schroeder (2-1).  Ryan Larson led off with a single to right, Eric Evenson sacrificed him to second, and Tyson Smith singled to center as Larson scampered home.  Smith stole second, his 32nd steal of the season, and scored on Brown's double to right.

Linfield broke the game open with four in the 5th, Fenton hitting his seventh home run, a solo shot leading off against Schroeder, and Dustin Smith went the opposite way for a three-run homer to left, his second, later in the inning off Bruin relief ace Chad Jones.  The Wildcats added two more in the 8th on an RBI single by Larson and an error at second, and Zach Boskovich closed out the Linfield scoring with a 400-foot solo shot to left in the 9th, his 14th of the year.

Linfield starter Reese McCulley (3-2) worked seven innings of four-hit ball for the win, striking out two with no walks.  The Bruins touched reliever Robert Vaughn for a pair of unearned runs in the 8th as Brown singled with the bases loaded to plate Perry Knudson and Josh Burch, but that was the Bruins' last gasp.

Winterstein had two of the Bruins' six hits, while Brown had three safeties and Boskovich, Fenton and Larson two apiece for the Wildcats, who had 11 hits in all. 

Twelve George Fox seniors were honored for their careers in pre-game ceremonies, including pitchers Schroeder, Jones, Adam Weber, and Mark Putney, catchers Brent Trask and Seth Monson, infielders Burch, Anderson, Brown, and Bryan Martz, and outfielders Knudson and Michael Woo. 

George Fox closes out the season May 4-5 with single games at Lewis-Clark State College, playing at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday and 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday.  Linfield and Pacific Lutheran will play a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday at 12:00 noon on both days to determine the NWC champion.