GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas --- The George Fox baseball team wrapped up its season-opening road trip with a game against Concordia-Texas. The Bruins got great life from their bats against the Tornados in a 15-7 win over a talented CUT team that made the 2019 Super Regional round of NCAA postseason play.

Recap

The Bruins traded scoreless innings with the Tornados through two frames until a fantastic piece of hitting and base running gave the Bruins an early 1-0 lead. Jared Gee lifted a ball into the right center gap and never took his foot off the gas, just beating a throw at the plate for his first career homer – an inside-the-park feat, no less.

The Bruins continued to mow down the CUT batters on defense with a great performance from starter Matt Voelzke and tacked on seven runs in the fourth to take an 8-0 lead midway through.

Matt Sebolsky, Sam Swenson, Voelzke, Brandon King, Gee, Travis Miller, and Trevor Nannini each scored in the frame for the 8-0 lead. Nannini and Voelzke doubled during the inning and the Bruins' lineup showed great patience in drawing three walks in the frame, including two for RBI.

Voelzke exited after six stellar innings and the Bruins' bullpen pieced together the last three innings with appearances from Nate Leid, Isaac Olson, and Sean Wiese. The Tornados showed why their team made an NCAA Regional appearance in 2019 by plating seven late runs to make a game of it, but the Bruins had plenty in answer in the top of the ninth.

After five walks and a single plated a run and scored Emery Miller for George Fox, the Bruins got a grand slam from the bat of Mason Arnold to open another healthy lead over the Tornados with a 15-5 advantage. The Tornados got two runs back in the bottom half of the frame, but that comeback bid fell well short of the mark in another winning effort for George Fox.

Top Performers

Arnold's grand slam and Gee's inside-the-park homer were the brightest highlights on offense, while Nannini, Voelzke, and Leon Johnson III each knocked a double in the winning effort. On the mound, Voelzke's 12 strikeouts were a season-best and a new career record for the senior hurler.

What It Means

The Bruins start the season and the Kopple era with a 3-0 record after some truly excellent offensive displays throughout the weekend against a trio of tough opponents.

"Great weekend for us," coach Kevin Kopple said of the Texas sweep. "The starting pitching [for us] was really good and offensively we stuck to our approach and put a lot of good swings together. We have a long way to go but this is a great start to the season."

What Happens Next

George Fox hosts a potential 2020 NCAA Regional team, Occidental College, in its home opener on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 11:00 am in Newberg.