By: Jake Bienvenue

NEWBERG --- The George Fox baseball team hosted the Whitman Blues in the final game of its Northwest Conference series on Sunday, losing a tough one which came down to the wire, 5-2.

Recap:

The Blues struck first, putting together a pair of solid innings in the top of the second and third. They scored twice in each and took a 4-0 lead.

The Bruins made their move in the bottom of the fourth. Kyler Brudwick got it going with a single to left center field, and later managed to advance to second on a wild pitch. A double from Sam Swenson brought Brudwick in to put the home team on the board, 4-1.

They kept it up in the bottom of the fifth. Jason Garcia singled, and then stole second to put the Bruins in a position to score. Matt Ramirez batted Garcia in with a double, cutting the lead to just two.

Neither side was able to score in the following innings until a home run from the Blues in the top of the ninth pushed Whitman's lead to 5-2.

The Bruins had a chance to tie or go ahead in the bottom of the ninth, but with runners on first and second, they were unable to complete the comeback as they dropped a close one.

Top Performers:

Swenson and Ramirez each batted in a runner to round out the Bruins' effort.

What It Means:

The Bruins move to 17-10 overall and 12-6 in conference play.

What Comes Next:

The Bruins face Linfield on the road on Wednesday, April 3 for a nonconference game at 5:00 pm.