Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

LOS ANGELES --- George Fox traveled to face the Occidental Tigers in their second series of 2022 and started the weekend with a split doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 12.

Game One

The Bruins got a gem from starter Sean Wiese on the hill as the southpaw struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and only one walk in his second start of the young season.

After two innings of a pitchers' duel produced a pair of scoreless frames, Fox got on the board in the third inning with a run from Franklin Leonard. Leonard drew a walk to get aboard, advanced to third on a Tigers' error, and came in to score as a pitch sailed past the Tigers' catcher for a 1-0 lead.

Both teams cruised through three more scoreless innings before the Bruins added another tally in the sixth. After the Tigers walked the bases loaded, Matthew Sebolsky singled home Brandon King for a 2-0 lead.

The Bruins got a solid inning of relief from Noah Meffert in the eighth and took a 2-1 lead into the ninth, but Oxy was able to drive in two in the final frame to grab a 3-2 win in the series opener.

Game Two

The Bruins fell behind, 3-0, after the first two innings of action but fought back and got on the board in the fifth. Meffert got aboard on an error, moved to third after a walk and a single from King, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Jeremy Sangalang. The Tigers answered back to make it 4-1 after five full frames, but Fox put up five runs in the sixth and seventh frames to take a 6-4 lead. The Bruins' grit showed in the sixth as they plated two with two outs, and then in the seventh their bats came alive with a solo homer from Jared Whitaker and a two-run shot by Tyler Durant.

The Tigers got both runs back in the seventh to tie it at 6-6 before the game was halted due to darkness. After resuming play on Saturday, Feb. 13, in the top of the eighth, Fox called on Andrew Sutherland and got five innings of two-run baseball from the sophomore southpaw to earn his first win of the year. The two teams played into the 12th before Fox got to the Tigers' bullpen for three runs in the top half of the inning.

Once again, Fox showed its mettle by scoring all three runs with two out in the 12th. Jared Miller singled and King and Sangalang each got aboard with walks before all three scored on a Whitaker single and an RBI knock from Jayce Lien. Sutherland and the Bruins' defense kept the damage to a single run in the bottom half to win it in extras, 9-7.

Top Performances

Sutherland's five winning innings and four strikeouts, combined with Wiese's seven-inning, 11-K performance, led the way on the hill. Whitaker hit .500 (3-6) with a double, a homer, and three RBI, while Durant also left the yard and was 2-5 with a homer and two runs scored. King and Sangalang drew six walks and stole four bags, combined, as the duo plated three combined runs in the first two games of the series.

What It Means

Fox moves to 3-3 on the year with one game left in the series.

Up Next

Fox finishes the third game of the series immediately after winning in extras, 9-7, to determine who will take the three-game set after splitting the first two.