Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 By Seth Preuss
SPOKANE --- The George Fox baseball team traveled to face the Pirates of Whitworth and split the doubleheader on day one of the three-game series, falling 3-1 in the first game before taking game two, 5-4.
Recap
Game One
The Bruins put Christopher Stone on the hill and got a complete game of work from their starter, working eight innings of three-hit, three-run baseball for his teammates with five strikeouts in just his second loss of the year.
George Fox fell behind early in game one after a costly error allowed the Pirates to plate an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning. After ripping through three scoreless innings, the Bruins were able to get on the board after a solo shot from Matt Voelzke in the fifth, but they gave the run back in the bottom of the frame to trail 2-1.
An insurance run for the Pirates in the sixth was the last of the game for either team in a low-scoring pitchers' duel that went Whitworth's way, 3-1, after two and a half empty frames to close the game.
Game Two
George Fox gave the ball to Landon Schirer to start game two of the doubleheader and six innings from their right-hander in his sixth win of the year as he struck out five and allowed four runs on seven hits. Isaac Olson worked an inning in relief as the setup for a two-inning save by Voelzke, his fifth of the year.
The Bruins grabbed the lead with a run in the top of the first after pairing a double from Kyler Brudwick with a Jerrod Seamons single. The Pirates plated a run in response to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom half of the first, but the Bruins pulled away again in the third.
After a single and a stolen base by Jason Garcia, Brudwick doubled again to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead. Seamons repeated his performance with another RBI single to plate Brudwick for the 3-1 lead in the following at-bat.
The Pirates answered with a two-RBI double in the fourth and took the lead briefly after a sacrifice fly in the same inning made it 4-3, but the Bruins had the final word.
A long double to center field from Voelzke and sacrifice bunt turned into a Bruin run with a long sacrifice fly by Brudwick in the fifth to tie it at 4-4, and a solo shot from Chase Fetzer gave the Bruins a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth. With Olson and Voelzke spinning three shutout relief innings on the hill, the Bruins held on to win 5-4 in nine innings to split the day.
Top Performers
Game One
Stone's complete game was the second of the season for a Bruin pitcher. Voelzke's solo shot was his third of the season.
Game Two
The Bruins got a pair of doubles from Brudwick and a solo shot from Fetzer in the win, while Seamons chipped in a pair of RBI hits to help his team rise above the Pirates.
What It Means
The Bruins move to 15-7 overall and are 11-3 against NWC opponents after splitting the afternoon doubleheader.
What Happens Next
The Bruins play the series rubber match against Whitworth tomorrow at 12:00 pm in Spokane.
