LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Getting their four-game weekend trip to southern California off to a good start, the George Fox University Bruins rode eight shutout innings by right-hander Clay Gartner and a 12-hit attack to a 7-0 victory over the Occidental College Tigers in a non-conference baseball game Friday afternoon here at Anderson Field.

The Bruins took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st when Matthew Zeller walked, stole second, advanced to third and home on consecutive ground outs by Derek Blankenship and Josh Rapacz, and Derek Dixon slugged his first home run of the season to left.  They added five more runs in the 3rd on an RBI single by Josh Rapacz, a two-run single by Zach Rapacz, and a run-scoring single by Zac Israel on which a second run scored on a throwing error.

Gartner (3-0), meanwhile, mowed down the Tigers with eight innings of four-hit ball, striking out nine without a walk.  The only serious threat to him came in the 6th when Scott Ericksen singled and Johnathan Brooks doubled him to third to start the inning, but the Bruin right-hander proceeded to fan three in a row to leave the runners stranded.  Christian Jarnigan completed the whitewash job with a 1-2-3 9th, striking out two.

Alec Strain (0-1), the first of four Tiger twirlers, went three innings and suffered the setback, allowing seven hits and all the Bruin runs. 

Zach Rapacz finished with a 3-4 game with two RBIs, while Josh Rapacz, Dixon, and Derek Blankenship had two hits apiece.  Josh Rapacz also drove in two, while Zeller and Dixon each scored twice.

NEXT: George Fox (7-1), riding a five-game winnings streak, and Occidental (2-5) will play a twinbill on Saturday, the first game starting at 11:00 a.m.