NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox baseball team dropped the first game against the Pacific Boxers, 5-2, before bouncing back with a 1-0 win thanks to a superb pitching performance.
How It Happened – Game One
GFU fell behind in the first inning, as the Boxers managed to get two runs across with two outs — using an RBI single and a bases-loaded walk. Pacific would score all of their runs in the first four innings, getting two in the first, and then one run each in the second, third, and fourth, making the game 5-0 going into the fifth inning.
The Bruins got on the board in the bottom half of the fifth frame as
Evan Balingit hit a two-out double to center field that scored
Bleu Ellis to cut the deficit to 5-1. Balingit picked up another RBI in the seventh inning, this time with a single that drove in
Jonathan Stone from second base to cut the Boxer lead to three.
After a quiet eighth inning,
Mason Eastman and Stone hit back-to-back singles to open the ninth, putting two on base with no outs and giving the Bruins hope. With the tying run at the plate, however, the Bruins couldn't find a way to close the gap, as the Boxers got a clutch strikeout, followed by a game-ending double play that sealed the 5-2 loss.
How It Happened – Game Two
The Bruins got possibly the best pitching performance of the year from their pitching staff in the second game of the day. Starter
Aidan Rady struck out three Boxer batters in the first two innings to start the game out strong; he would go on to strike out six batters in six innings while walking just two runners and giving up zero runs. Rady was in cruise control for much of the game, despite having traffic on the base paths — Rady stranded runners in four of the six innings he pitched, stranding two on base multiple times.
The Bruins scored their lone run in the second inning. After
Jared Whitaker got on base with a one-out double, he scored an unearned run one batter later after the Boxers mishandled a ball from
Garrett Strube. The Bruins would only get four hits for the whole game, but the opportunistic base running by Whitaker would prove to be the difference.
In the seventh inning, Stone came in as a reliever, taking the mound and keeping the pitching dominance going for the Bruins. Stone went 1-2-3 in the seventh, picking up a strikeout, and stranded two runners in the eighth with help from a clutch
Noah Meffert defensive gem, who threw out the Boxers's batter from deep in the shortstop hole to end the inning.
Ryder Edwards would come in for the ninth inning, up 1-0. Edwards would make quick work of the Boxers, getting the first out courtesy of a brilliant play from Ellis at third base, then striking out the next batter. Edwards ended the game with a fly out to deep center, giving the Bruins the bounce-back, 1-0 win.
Top Performances
Aidan Rady used 84 pitches to get six innings, striking out six while walking just two batters and allowing zero runs.
Evan Balingit had two RBIs in game one, and
Ryder Edwards picked up his team-leading fifth save of the season.
The 1-0 win was also one of record for Fox: the win was the first nine-inning shutout by the Bruins since a February 2020 9-0 win over Pacific Lutheran. The game also marked the first time that Pacific had been shutout by an NWC opponent in three years, spanning back to a 1-0 loss to Whitman in April of 2021.
What It Means
In a doubleheader with massive NWC implications, both teams stood pat in the rankings after the split. The Bruins are now 18-13 (8-9 NWC), and the Boxers are now 18-10 (6-7 NWC).
What Comes Next
The series winner will be decided in game three, which is Sunday, April 14, at Morse Athletic Fields in Newberg, Ore. First pitch is scheduled for noon.
