By Jacob Hayes

TACOMA --- The George Fox Bruins complete the series sweep of the Puget Sound Loggers on Sunday, Mar. 1, winning game three by a final of 7-5.

Recap

The Bruins scored first, continuing the trend they set on day one of the series. A leadoff double off the bat of Leon Johnson III set up the first-inning rally. Trevor Nannini singled, advancing Johnson to third, who scored on the next at bat when Matt Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly to fight field. Nannini made his way to third after stealing second and capitalizing on a bad throw. Sam Swenson knocked him in with a single to center, putting the Bruins up two.   

In the top of the third, Nannini reached again, this time on a one-out double to left field.  Ramirez moved Nannini over to third, setting up another Swenson RBI single, making the score 3-0.

The lead would not last, however. The Loggers strung together a three-run rally in the bottom of the third. Two wild pitches set up back-to-back RBIs, including a Loggers double, tying the score at 3-3.

Nannini reached base for the third straight time, again on a double to left, with two out in the fifth. Ramirez got the RBI with a single to left, reclaiming the lead for the Bruins, 4-3.  Coach Kevin Kopple made a pitching change in the bottom of the sixth, moving Voelzke to DH and bringing in Sean Wiese from the bullpen. Puget Sound made the most of the change, tying the game at 4-4 with a one-out solo shot to left.

Neither team scored again until the ninth, when the Bruins looked to end it before extras.  With one out, pinch hitter Chase Fetzer found a hole up the middle to start the rally. A balk advanced him to second and Jared Gee knocked him home with a single to left-center. Johnson III extended the inning with a walk and Nannini advanced both runners, setting the table for Ramirez. His clutch two-out single scored both runners, giving George Fox the lead going into the bottom of the ninth in front, 7-4.

The Loggers were not going down without a fight. A leadoff double followed by a single put runners on the corners with one out. A fielder's choice scored the runner at third, cutting the lead to two with only out. Wiese kept his head, even with the tying run at the plate.  He mowed down the final two batters to claim the win for the Bruins, 7-5.

"Any sweep on the road in this conference is extremely tough," Kopple said after the win on Sunday. "Our pitching was fantastic all weekend against a very tough lineup. We had some of our best at-bats late and were able to find a way to win a Sunday game in the Northwest Conference. I'm proud of our guys."

Top Performers

Nannini finished the day 3-5 with two doubles and three runs scored. Ramirez knocked in four runs while going 3-4 on the day, and Swenson also went 3-4 with two RBI. Voelzke struck out four in a no-decision outing, while Wiese secured his second win of the season after four innings and four punch-outs.

What It Means

The Bruins record their second straight NWC sweep and have won six straight. Their conference record stays perfect at 6-0 while their overall record moves to 10-2.

What Happens Next

George Fox returns to Newberg to take on the Lewis & Clark Pioneers next weekend, with a Saturday doubleheader slated to start at 11:00am on March 7 at Morse Athletic Field.