Box Score NEWBERG, Ore. – Two big scoring innings
were all the George Fox University Bruins needed to blow out the
Willamette University Bearcats 12-5 in the first game of a
Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday afternoon here
at Morse Field, and the second game was suspended by rain with the
Bruins ahead 3-0 after an inning and a half.
Willamette starter Peter Hoffman (2-4) came into the opener with
a 2.19 ERA, but the Bruins wasted no time inflating that figure as
they scored seven first-inning runs, six of them earned. The
frame began innocently enough as Matthew Zeller beat out a 15-foot
tapper in front of the plate and Zach Miller walked.
Josh Rapacz lifted his average over .500 with a
sharp run-scoring single up the middle, and after a wild pitch,
Danny Clifford lined a single to right to score Miller.
Timothy Williams also singled to right to send in Rapacz, and
Clifford scored from third when Williams stole second and the
catcher's throw to second bounced off Williams' helmet
and into center. Derek Dixon's double to right-center
scored Williams, but Dixon was caught trying to advance to third on
a pitch in the dirt for the first out.
The Bruins were up 5-0, but the inning wasn't over.
Zac Israel was hit by a pitch and Zach Hegelmeyer doubled down the
left-field line, sending Israel to third. A passed ball
allowed Israel to cross over, and Emmett Ackerlund's ground
out to second plated Hegelmeyer.
Over the next four innings, Hoffman settled down and only
allowed one base runner, on a walk in the fourth. The Bruins
knocked him out with five more runs in the sixth, however.
Dixon doubled to right, Hegelmeyer singled him to third, and
Ackerlund delivered him with a sacrifice fly to deep center that
also sent Hegelmeyer to second. After a wild pitch, Zeller
was hit and Miller singled to right to score Hegelmeyer.
Rapacz tripled into the left-field corner to score Zeller and
Miller, and Clifford doubled to right-center as Rapacz scored the
Bruins' final run.
George Fox starter Clay Gartner (4-0) no-hit the Bearcats for
four-plus innings until Brandon Chinn singled cleanly to center
with one out in the fifth. His string of 18 consecutive
scoreless innings finally ended in the seventh when Willamette
scored on a single by Matt Hirsch, a double by Tiras Koon, and an
RBI grounder to third by Ben Petersen.
The Bearcats knocked Gartner out in the eighth when they loaded
the bases with none out on a single by Rolenn Himuro, a walk to
Austin Hagarty, and an infield single by Tyson Giza when Gartner
was late covering the bag on a grounder to first. Reliever
Michael Hirko allowed a run in on a wild pitch, Hagarty scored on a
force out at third, and Koon singled to center to score Hunter
Gallant. Spencer Eager came on to get out of the inning, then
allowed a final run in the ninth on an RBI single by Andrew Wilson
that scored Himuro, who had singled and advanced to second on a
bunt by Hagarty.
Gartner finished with seven-plus innings, scattering six hits
with six strikeouts and two walks. Hoffman fanned four and
walked two in 5.2 innings and was touched for 12 hits and 12 runs,
11 earned.
Five Bruins - Miller, Rapacz, Clifford, Dixon and Hegelmeyer -
had two hits each out of the Bruins' total of 13.
Rapacz scored twice and drove in three. Koon and Himuro had
two hits apiece for the Bearcats, who had nine in all.
George Fox improved to 13-5 overall and 6-1 in the conference
with the win, while Willamette slipped to 6-11 overall and 2-5 in
the NWC.
In the second game, the Bruins scored three in the first off
Albert Garcia on a two-run double by Williams and a sacrifice fly
by Dixon. Southpaw Connor Harris threw two scoreless, hitless
innings for the Bruins. The game will be resumed Sunday at
11:00 a.m. with the Bruins coming up in the bottom of the second,
and will be followed by the third game of the series.