By: Jake Bienvenue

TACOMA --- The George Fox baseball team played the third installment of their road series against Pacific Lutheran on Sunday, losing a close one, 7-6.

Recap:

The Bruins were the first on the board, scoring in the top of the third to take an early lead. Matt Voelzke stepped up to the plate and doubled down the left field line, then Kyler Brudwick batted him in with a double to left center.

Pacific Lutheran responded with three runs in the bottom of the third, setting the score at 3-1.

George Fox put another run on the board in the top of the fourth. Matt Ramirez doubled to right field, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Sam Swenson followed him up with a single to third base. Derek Johnson popped a sac-fly out to left field, sending Ramirez home for the score.

The Lutes responded by scratching across yet another three runs in the bottom of the fourth. One more from them in the bottom of the fifth pushed the lead to 7-2.

The Bruins looked to chip into the lead in the top of the seventh. Voelzke walked to first, then managed to advance to third on two subsequent ground-outs. Jerred Seamons singled to center field for the RBI. Singles from Ramirez and Swenson loaded the bases and gave the visiting team a shot at scoring big, but they were unable to capitalize as the score stood at 7-3.

George Fox found its way onto the scoreboard in the top of the eighth as well. Mason Arnold singled to first base, then CJ Ibara stepped in as a pinch runner. Ibara advanced to second on a wild pitch, then to third on a single from Jason Garcia. Voelzke stepped to the plate and grounded out to shortstop, but Ibara was still able to reach home. Brudwick stepped up and reached second on a fielding error, allowing Garcia to run home. The effort cut the lead to just two heading into the final inning.

The Bruins were unable to get anything going in the top of the ninth, dropping to 1-2 in the series with a 7-6loss.

Top Performers:

Voelzke played well in this one, batting in a pair of runners while reaching home plate twice himself. Brudwick went 3-5 at the plate and had an RBI. Seamons and Johnson each batted in runners as well.

What It Means:

The Bruins drop to 1-2 in conference play and 4-6 overall.

What Comes Next:

The Bruins host Puget Sound in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 2 at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm.