By: Ryan Lackey

PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Bruins could not quite muster the necessary offense on Sunday afternoon, as Lewis & Clark carried the day, 6-3.

Starter Taylor Dunn had by all measures an outing worthy of accolades – he threw nearly six innings of two-run ball, but it was Michael Hirko who took the loss. The Pioneers won the game on the strength of their two-headed attack: Michael Kinkenon, who went 3-5, and Sean Shepherd, who batted in three runs.

For George Fox, Brandon Wileman led the day with two RBIs, and Ansel Webster and AJ Valencia both garnered two hits. Riley McKean had an especially patient time at bat, drawing three walks.

The Bruins cracked the scoreboard first. In the second inning, Jake Thran was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on an error. With two outs and after a Mason Dunning walk, Wileman rapped a single to center to plate Thran and gift the Bruins an early 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately for George Fox, that lead would soon vanish. Lewis & Clark finally broke down Dunn in the fifth, cobbling together two singles and a walk to tie the score; another single afterwards gave the Pioneers a 2-1 lead.

Determinedly, the Bruins knotted the game at two in the sixth. Clay Mott slapped a single to left and gained second on a wild pitch. Mason Dunning walked, and the two Bruin baserunners pulled off a textbook double steal to set the stage for Wileman – his grounder, misplayed by the second baseman, let Mott score the tying run.

The Bruins glimpsed victory in the seventh. McKean worked one of his triumvirate of walks to start the inning, and Thran sacrificed him to second. Displaying some good base running, McKean took third on a passed ball and came home easily on Webster's driven single to left. The Bruins had an opportunity to take the lead at the inning's conclusion, but Anthony Muenster struck out with runners on second and third.

Lewis & Clark regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh with two unearned runs, and in the eighth the Pioneers put the game away, turning three hits into two runs and the 7-3 final score.

The Bruins leave Sunday at 16-19, 12-9 in conference, with a doubleheader with Linfield upcoming on Saturday.