Photo Taken By: Tim Yarnell

By: Ryan Lackey

NEWBERG, Ore. --- After yesterday's surging sweep of then-undefeated Whitworth, the Bruins ran out of gas on Sunday afternoon, dropping the final game of the three-game series to the Pirates, 9-2.

Recap:
The Bruins's starter, Liam Kent, was serviceable, and did well to eat nearly seven innings after a shaky opening. But the Pirates got to him early, putting up two in the first on a Jeremy Druffel home run. Things only got worse in the second. With two on, Druffel struck again, driving in one with a single, and another scored on an error. The Pirates soon got two more in a most unusual way: JT Phelan homered the hard way; his inside-the-park homer scored two and made the score 6-0.

A sacrifice fly in the third solidified Whitworth's lead at 7-0, but from then on Kent settled down. The Bruins found him some support in the fifth, as Kadyn Nannini picked out a good pitch and sent it flying for a solo homer. In the sixth, the Bruins strung together three hits but couldn't score, but the momentum seemed to have swung.

And the Bruins continued on in the seventh. Nannini singled up the middle, and AJ Valencia poked a single through the hole. Then, with two outs, Andrew Reichenbach walked to load the bases, and Riley McKean's single scored Nannini. Still with the bases loaded, the Bruins were set up to come back, but Jake Thran was out on strikes.

Whitworth added two insurance runs that proved unnecessary in the eighth; the 9-2 final stood.

Top Performers:
Kadyn Nannini was the brightest spot for the Bruins, finishing 2-4 with two runs scored and an RBI—plus, of course, his homer. AJ Valencia was 2-5. McKean was 2-4 with an RBI. Kyle Esquerra went 2-3.

What It Means:
The Bruins win the series, 2-1, and are 10-7 overall. Their conference record is 6-3, and they stand in second place, just behind Whitworth.

What Comes Next:
The Bruins play three at Whitman next weekend.