NEWBERG, Ore. -- In a non-conference doubleheader against the Division II Central Washington Wildcats, the George Fox baseball team won twice, taking the first game 11-4 and the second 4-3.
Game One
The Bruins started senior righty
Ben Wills in the first game, and he picked up two strikeouts in the first inning to blank the Wildcats in the top half. It didn't take long for the Bruins to strike afterwards, as
Carson Coulter doubled to score
Noah Meffert from second, giving Fox a 1-0 lead after one.
George Fox got their bats going in a big way in the bottom of the third inning, scoring six runs on seven hits — all seven of them singles.
Jeremy Sangalang got the scoring started with a ball that drove in two runs, and he was driven in two batters later by first baseman
Jonathan Stone.
Bleu Ellis loaded the bases with a hit after Stone's RBI, bringing up a
Shane McClendon shot into left on a 3-2 pitch that scored two.
Ty Davis drove home the sixth run of the inning, pushing the lead to 7-0 at the end of three.
The next inning, Sangalang picked up an RBI double in the fourth that increased the lead to 8-0 before the Bruins made a pitching change, putting in Braedon Munger on the bump. The Wildcats were able to pick up one run in the fifth, but Munger settled into the sixth inning and held the lead at 8-1.
Fox put up two more runs in the bottom of the sixth with a Coulter double that scored Sangalang and
Evan Balingit, extending the lead to 10-1. The Wildcats had a semblance of a spark in the top of the seventh, getting out of the inning after new pitcher
Ryan Silver – who inherited two runners — was able to get a big strikeout and groundout to get out of the inning with a 10-4 lead.
Ellis put the finishing touches on the win in the eighth, hitting the Bruins' first home run of the season on his first pitch of the at-bat. Up 11-4, pitcher
Michael Singleton was able to close out the game in the top of the ninth to give Fox the win in game one.
Game Two
The Bruins' situational defense and tough pitching shined in the second game of the day, a seven-inning back half of the doubleheader. Starter Tyler Franklin started the game off with a 1-2-3 first inning while picking up a strikeout. Similarly to the first game, the Bruins scored in the first with a Sangalang driving home Meffert who was on second after stealing from first.
The Wildcats took their first lead of the day in the top of the third inning, scoring on a sacrifice groundout with runners on second and third to tie the game, then taking the lead with a sacrifice fly to left to put Fox down, 2-1. Relief pitcher
Andrew Sutherland had a huge strikeout with two outs and a runner in scoring position to stop Central Washington from scoring anything else.
The Bruins responded right away in the bottom half, with a huge two-out rally that started with Balingit picking up a base knock with two away. Sangalang then singled to advance Balingit to third, bringing up Coulter, who answered the call again with a sharp line drive down the left field line to score two runs and give back the lead to GFU, 3-2. First baseman
Stanley Schoppe followed that with a double on the first pitch that he saw to score Coulter. The inning ended with Fox up, 4-2.
The Wildcats responded with a run in the top of the fourth inning, but Sutherland got help from his defense to get out of the inning with the lead still intact. After a scoreless bottom half, Central was in scoring position again, as they loaded up the bases against pitcher
Ryder Edwards with just one out. Edwards got a pop-up to Meffert at shortstop that held the runners where they were, and then got the biggest strikeout of the game on a 3-2 pitch for the next batter to get out of the jam without allowing a run.
Edwards would cruise the rest of the way, holding the Wildcats scoreless as the Bruins won the game, 4-3.
Top Performances
Carson Coulter went 4-8 with three RBI doubles on the day, including the game-winning double in the second game. Jeremey Sangalang went 5-8, with four RBIs over the two games.
Bleu Ellis went 2-5 with a homerun in the first game, and
Ryder Edwards picked up the multi-inning save in the second game.
What It Means
The Bruins are back on the winning side of things with the two wins today, as they now sit at 5-3. The Wildcats now sit at 5-9.
What Comes Next
The Bruins head to Walla Walla, Washington, for a weekend series against Whitman Blues that starts with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 2. The doubleheader is the first two Northwest Conference games of the season for the Bruins. The first pitch for game one is at 11 am.
