NEWBERG, Ore. – The George Fox baseball team performed well in the opening stages of both games in their home opener against Division II opponent Saint Martin's, but the Bruins were unable to pull out a win in either game of the doubleheader, losing 3-4 and 3-12.
How It Happened - Game One
George Fox got on the board quickly in game one. Shortstop
Jeremy Sangalang singled to center field to put the Bruins on base, before stealing second base. A single from
Jonathan Stone allowed Sangalang to score and gave Fox the early lead, 1-0.
Starting pitcher
Caleb Debban locked down the game for the next few innings, as neither team tacked on any more runs until Saint Martin's broke through in the top of the sixth. The Saints strung together several hits and capitalized on an error from Fox, driving home to level the score.
Saint Martin's continued their momentum with the bat, recording four hits to score three more runs and go into the top of the eighth, the Bruins trailed, 4-1.
However, Fox refused to go down without a fight; in the bottom of the ninth,
Jared Miller was walked and
Noah Meffert reached first on a Saints error. After Miller advanced to third on a fly out from
Evan Balingit, he was brought home by a sacrifice fly by
Jeremy Sangalang — narrowing St Martin's lead to two.
Needing two runs from the final out,
Carson Coulter was up to bat next. The sophomore hit a clutch double to center field, moving Meffert to third base and putting two Bruins in scoring position.
Jonathan Stone was intentionally walked, loading the bases before a ground ball by
Bleu Ellis was fumbled by the Saints. Meffert scored, unearned, and the Bruins closed the gap to just one run.
Isaac Snyder was brought in pinch hit and try to bring in the tying run with bases still loaded. The freshman had a long at bat but eventually popped out to the catcher, ending the Bruin comeback effort and giving St Martin's the win, 4-3.
How It Happened - Game Two
George Fox was once again the first to score in the second game, capitalizing on two monster hits from the top of the order.
Noah Meffert opened the Bruin's batting with a huge triple which
Evan Balingit immediately followed with an RBI double down the center, giving Fox an early lead.
The two teams remained scoreless for the next three innings thanks to solid pitching from both Saint Martin's and George Fox's starter
Aidan Rady.
The Saint's tied the game in the top of the fifth inning, driving in one run from three hits. The Bruins responded immediately, though, with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.
Mason Eastman singled through the center, and was able to advance to third after a throwing error by the St Martin's pitcher. A double from
Jared Miller brought Eastman home, and a RBI single from Balingit saw Fox extend their lead, 3-1.
However, St Martin's mounted a lethal comeback in the sixth inning, scoring 10 runs off nine hits to completely change the tone of the game and take the lead, 11-3. The Saints would put the nail in the coffin with another RBI in the seventh inning, taking home the victory, 12-3.
Top Performances
Noah Meffert recorded three hits in the two games, going 2-3 in the second game with a triple.
Jeremy Sangalang went 2-4 in the first game, while grabbing a run, an RBI and two stolen bases.
Evan Balingit was again impressive, hitting 2-3 in the second game with two RBIs.
Caleb Debban led the way on the mound, giving up just four hits and one run in his six innings pitched, while recording 10 strikeouts.
Coach's Thoughts
"Tough day at the ballpark but excited to see our guys respond tomorrow," Bruin head coach
Kevin Kopple said, "We will learn from today and continue to get better."
What It Means
The Bruins are now 3-3, with two games left before their first NWC matchup. Saint Martin's improves to 5-9.
What Comes Next
The Bruins will look to regain momentum with another doubleheader at home tomorrow against another D-II opponent Central Washington. The first pitch is scheduled for 11am.
