THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Jared Chase hammered out a single, double, home run, and drove in four runs, leading the undefeated George Fox University Bruins back from a five-run deficit to an 11-8 victory over the California Lutheran University Kingsmen in a non-conference baseball game Friday afternoon here at George “Sparky” Anderson Field.

The Bruin trailed 7-2 heading into the sixth inning, but began their comeback as Timothy Williams walked, Zach Miller singled, and Zac Israel singled for one run.  Chase followed with a two-out, three-run shot to left, his third home run of the season, to cut the CLU lead to 7-6.

Chase ignited the Bruins' go-ahead rally in the eighth with a lead-off single, and they loaded the bases on a single by Matthew Zeller and an error on Josh Rapacz's sacrifice bunt.  Derek Dixon bounced into a third-to-home-to-first double play, but Zeller scored the tying run when Danny Clifford was safe on an error by the pitcher, and Williams doubled to drive in two and put the Bruins in front. 

Cal Lutheran got one run back in the home half of the inning on a double by Mike Vinyard, a sacrifice, and a sacrifice fly by Ronnie Burton, but the Bruins added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth.  Chase doubled in Zach Hegelmeyer, who had singled, and came in later on a ground out by Rapacz off the pitcher's glove to short.

Alex Keenan worked a 1-2-3 ninth in for his first save, preserving the win for Ian Buckles (1-0), the third of five Bruins hurlers.  George Fox relievers, including Connor Harris and Sean Eberhardt, combined to throw 5.1 innings, scattering five hits and allowing only one run, after the Kingsmen had touched starter Clay Gartner for nine hits and seven runs, six earned, in 3.2 innings.

CLU took a 1-0 lead in the first as Nick DeLorenzo doubled in Trevor Koons, but the Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the third.  Hegelmeyer singled and stole second, then stole third following a walk to Zeller, and the two worked a double steal to tie the game.  Zeller scored when Rapacz reached on an error at second.

The Kingsmen regained the lead in the home half.  Burton doubled and Koons singled him.  After an error on a pickoff attempt sent Koons to second, DeLorenzo singled in the go-ahead run.  CLU extended its lead in the fourth, Vinyard hitting a solo home run before Nick Boggan slugged a three-run double to make it 7-2 and set up the Bruins' comeback.

Aaron Roth (0-1), the third of four CLU pitchers, suffered the setback, though only two of the five runs he allowed were earned as the Kingsmen committed six errors.  The Bruins piled up 13 hits in all, Chase leading the way but getting help from Zeller, Miller, and Hegelmeyer, who had two hits apiece.  Hegelmeyer swiped three bases and scored three times.

The Kingsmen had 14 hits, led by Burton and Vinyard with three each.  Koons, Boggan, and DeLorenzo had two hits apiece, with Koons scoring three runs and Boggan knocking in three.

NEXT: George Fox (5-0) and California Lutheran (1-2-1) will complete their three-game series here with a doubleheader Saturday starting at 11:00 a.m.