TUCSON --- On a cool and crisp Friday night, the George Fox baseball team opened the 2019 season with a 7-1 victory over Redlands.

Recap:

Playing under the lights at Kino Sports Complex in the stadium park, the Bruins dealt with some mishaps early in the first inning. A pair of errors in the top of the first helped the Bulldogs scratch their first and only run of the game.

Christopher Stone got the start on the bump and struck out his first batter as a Bruin. The Bulldogs hit a deep ball to right field on the next at-bat, but an error allowed the runner to reach third. With two outs on the board, a ball was hit hard to third and a fielding error resulted in the first run of the game.

The Bruins didn't seem to let it bother them, though, as they bounced back in the second inning with two runs of their own. Derek Johnson got things going on a two-out single to third base, beating the throw for the first hit of the game. Chase Fetzer singled to right field and Johnson made his way to third. Colby Watilo was hit by a pitch and the bases were loaded for Jason Garcia. Garcia drilled a ball to right field for the two-RBI single, bringing home Johnson and Fetzer.

The Bruins lead 2-1 after the second inning.

Stone was dialed in for the next four innings, as the righty recorded six strikeouts in his six innings of work. Isaac Olson came in to replace Stone in the top of the seventh and struck out the side to give the Bruins the momentum they needed.

In the bottom half of the seventh, the Bruins scratched across three more runs. Watilo drew a leadoff walk and a Garcia ground out pushed Watilo to second. Matt Voelzke hit an RBI single to left center, and then stole second and advanced to third on an error to keep the Bruins in scoring position. Trevor Nannini hit a stand up triple to right field to switch places with Voelke, and Kyler Brudwick brought in Nannini on a single to give the Bruins a 5-1 lead.

George Fox cemented its lead in the eighth with two runs on two hits. Fetzer hit a single to center field and was then replaced by CJ Ibara as a pinch runner. Watilo laid down a sac bunt to push Ibara to second and Garcia continued his hot day with a double to center field to trade places with Ibara. Garcia advanced to third on a wild pitch, setting up Voelzke for the sacrifice fly to give the Bruins their final run of the game.

Nate Leid closed the game out for the Bruins on the mound.

Top Performers:

Garcia, Voelzke, Nannini, and Brudwick all recorded RBIs on the day. Garcia went 2-4 at the plate with a team-high three RBIs. Fetzer and Voelzke also went 2-4 at the plate.

The Bruins pitching staff kept the Bulldogs scoreless after the first run of the game due to errors. Stone earned the first win of the season for the Bruins.

What It Means:

George Fox opens up the Tucson Invitational and the 2019 season at 1-0.

What Comes Next:

The Bruins have a short turnaround as they play La Verne and Sul Ross St. Saturday, Feb. 9. La Verne is set for 9 am (PST) and Sul Ross St. is set for 1 pm (PST).