LA VERNE, Calif. -- The George Fox baseball team opened their season with a morning  California game against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags, dropping the first game of the series, 9-2.

How It Happened
The Stags jumped on Fox in the first two innings as they hopped out to an early lead. A fielding error in the first inning with two on and two out kept CMS alive, and the Stags took advantage. CMS scored one run on the error and followed it with a two-RBI single to snag a 3-0 lead.

Spencer Roos singled to get the Bruins their first hit of the season but was later caught heading to third as the Fox inning proved fruitless. The Stags continued their commanding start with an RBI single to put the Bruins down, 0-4. Junior Travis Miller got the nod on the mound, throwing four and a third innings and giving up six runs (three earned).

The Bruins got on the board in the sixth, scoring their first runs of the season. Noah Meffert hit an opposite-field triple to start things off, while junior Jeremy Sangalang singled to bring him home. A Roos double brought in Sangalang to cut the score to 6-2. After a scoreless Stag inning, the Bruins had a chance to take the momentum back and inch closer in the game.

Unfortunately, the Bruin offense failed to get runs on the board for the rest of the game, while the Stags added three more in the bottom half of the eighth inning to push their lead to seven. The Bruins went down 1-2-3 in their last at-bats of the game, to drop their first game of the year, 9-2.

Top Performers
Fox recorded six hits on the day, with two apiece coming from Meffert and Roos. Sangalang and Brandon King recorded the other two hits for the Bruins, while Roos and Sangalang both picked up an RBI on the day.

Coach's Thoughts
"We have to get off to a better start," Bruin head coach Kevin Kopple said, " We fought an uphill battle all game and lost some key stats that we have to win for us to have success."

What It Means
The Bruins begin their season 0-1 while the Stags start 1-0.

What Comes Next
Fox will get a chance to avenge their loss with a doubleheader to conclude the series against the Stags on Saturday. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 10:30 am while game two is slated to begin at 2:00 pm.