THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. --- George Fox baseball wrapped up its last SoCal trip of 2022 with an extra-innings loss to the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen, 4–5, on Sunday afternoon.
How It Happened
Fox put freshman Gordon Wend on the hill to start the game and after a tough first frame, he settled in and gave Fox five innings. Wend allowed three runs on three hits while striking out one in a no-decision outing.
Ryan Watilo and Austin Hallman Bridged the next three innings for Fox with scoreless frames, and Alex Abbott closed the game with one inning of work and was tagged with the loss in the tenth.
The Kingsmen snatched an early lead with three runs scored by the end of the second, but Fox answered in kind to tie the game at 3-3 midway through the third inning.
Jared Gee plated two in the second with a single through the right side of the infield, scoring Jonathan Stone and Stanley Schoppe in the process, and Schoppe singled through the left side to drive in Jeremy Sangalang in the third for the tie.
The two teams sped through two quick scoreless frames in the fourth and fifth before Fox grabbed its first lead of the game in the sixth. Working against a new CLU arm, Stone left the yard with a leadoff homer to give Fox a 4-3 lead, and Wend, Watilo, and Hallman held the Kingsmen down until the ninth with six straight shutout innings.
Cal Lutheran evened it up in the ninth with a single run to force some free baseball. Fox had a chance to take a lead in the tenth after Sangalang walked and Schoppe wore a pitch to put two on with one out. Stone loaded the bases after that with a walk, but the Kingsmen were able to work out of it with a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.
The Kingsmen stitched two singles together to walk it off in the bottom half of the inning, 5-4.
Top Performances
Stone was 2-4 with a homer and two runs scored, Gee was 2-3 with two RBI, and Sangalang went 1-2 with two walks and a double. As a pitching staff, the Bruins' first three arms of the afternoon combined for six shutout innings.
Coach's Thoughts
"We had a chance to win that game, but overall it's another growing moment for us," coach Kevin Kopple said. "We saw some guys string together good at-bats, and we got some solid pitching again.
It only gets tougher from here as we play another really good team next week - we're excited to finally play at home."
What It Means
Fox drops to 7-7 overall after playing the majority of its non-conference schedule to start the season.
Up Next
The Bruins return home to host their first series on Mar. 5 & 6 against Pacific Lutheran in Newberg.
