ANTHEM, Ariz. – Opening their 2011
baseball season with an offensive bang, the George Fox University
Bruins hammered out 14 hits, including six doubles, and parlayed a
five-run first inning into a 10-6 win over the California Lutheran
University Kingsmen on the first day of the Arizona Desert Classic
Thursday afternoon here at Boulder Creek High School.
After right-hander Brian Ranta (1-0) held the Kingsmen scoreless
in the top of the first, the George Fox bats got going in the
bottom half as Dan Winterstein led off with a single, advanced on a
ground out by Taylor Hunter, and scored on a double by Sam
Stahl. A walk to Eric Gantenbein, a passed ball, and
a grounder by Josh Rapacz scored Stahl, then Derek Aldrich drilled
a RBI double. Derek Blankenship reached on an error as
Aldrich went to third, then the two worked a double steal for
another run. Zac Israel's double plated the final run
of the frame.
Ranta worked six innings, allowing eight hits and three runs
while striking out seven and walking just one. Holding a 7-3
lead in the top of the sixth, he worked out of a jam with two
runners in scoring position by fanning the last two hitters of the
inning. The Bruins then put the game away with two more runs
in the home half, Aldrich doing the damage with a two-run
double.
Kyle Albertson went the final three innings for a save, allowing
five hits and three runs in the eighth, but four of the hits were
ground singles that barely eluded the Bruin infield. The
rookie struck out two and walked two in his college debut.
Aldrich and Stahl led the Bruins with three hits and two doubles
each, with Aldrich collecting three RBI and Stahl two.
Winterstein and Taylor added two hits apiece, Taylor with a double,
and Rapacz added a second RBI with a base hit. Nate Hickok
drew two walks and scored two runs.
Spencer Trygg (1-1) started and took the loss for the Kingsmen,
who fell to 1-2 on the season. Nick Boggan went 3-for-4 with
a double for Cal Lutheran, dropping his early-season average from
.857 to .818, and Brandyn Delgado went 3-for-5 with two RBI.
George Fox next meets the University of Texas-Dallas, an 11-1
winner over Whitman College, Friday at 10:00 a.m. Cal
Lutheran plays Pacific Lutheran University, which lost to Concordia
University-Texas 13-5, also at 10:00 a.m. (Boulder Creek has two
playing fields).
