SALEM, Ore. – Facing the team with the best total record in the conference, the Bruins split two with the Willamette Bearcats, losing game one 12-4, and taking the second game 10-3. 

How It Happened – Game One
The Bearcats offense found an immediate spark to start the game, getting a flurry of runs in four innings after three home runs and a pair of doubles put Fox in an 8-0 hole heading into the top of the fifth. The Bruins jumped onto the scoreboard in the fifth inning, picking up their first hits and runs of the game. Evan Balingit drove in three runs with a home run to right field, and Jared Miller pulled a ball down the left field line that scored Bleu Ellis. After the top half of the fifth, the Bruins had cut the lead in half, 8-4. 

Willamette responded with runs of its own, adding two in the bottom of the fifth and another two in the bottom of the eighth, bringing the difference back to eight runs. The Bruins couldn't mount a comeback in the final innings, and the game ended with a 1-2-3 top half of the ninth inning, which sealed the 12-4 loss. 

How It Happened – Game Two
In the second game, it was the Bruins' turn to rake. The GFU offense had thirteen hits and three homers in the second contest of the day. Two of those home runs came from a familiar place: the bat of Noah Meffert. Meffert opened up the scoring for the Bruins in the third with a deep shot to center field that brought the score to 1-0. An inning later, Balingit hit his second long ball of the day with a two RBI home run that expanded the lead to three runs for Fox. 

The Willamette offense had been stifled by starter Caleb Debbans for the first three innings but managed to get three runs in the fourth. Debbans righted the ship in the following innings though, as those three runs would be the last the Bearcats would score in the second game. The trio of runs tied the game going into the fifth inning, in which the Bruins responded resoundingly. Meffert hit his fifth homer of the season and his second of the day in the fifth, scoring three runs with the shot to left. Balingit hit an RBI single to add to his RBI total for the day, expanding the Bruins' lead to 7-3. A Meffert sacrifice groundout in the sixth, and a pair of sacrifice flies in the eighth brought the score to its final, a 10-3 win for the Bruins. 

Fox got a resilient performance from its pitching staff, including seven lights-out innings from Debban, and two scoreless innings from Michael Singleton to close out the win. The rout tied the weekend series and positioned the Bruins for a series victory tomorrow. 

Top Performances
Evan Balingit had two home runs on the day and racked up seven RBIs across both games. Noah Meffert had six RBIs in the second game, hitting two home runs and driving in a pair of runs with sacrifice ground-outs and flys. The senior slugger is now hitting .382 on the year, with five homers and 31 RBIs in 32 games. 

What It Means
In a series with major NWC Playoff implications, The Bruins left the first day 19-16 (9-11 NWC). The Bearcats are now 22-9 (13-7 NWC). 

What Comes Next
The series rubber match is set for Sunday, April 21st, at Willamette. First pitch is at noon.