NEWBERG, Ore. – The George Fox baseball team put together an incredible display of teamwork and resilience in their non-conference Senior Day game to push past No. 15 Cal Lutheran and pick up their third straight win over an ranked opponent, 6-5.
How It Happened
The Bruins got on the board first against the Kingsmen, capitalizing on an early error. Leadoff hitter
Noah Meffert drew a walk, stole second, and scored on a throwing error to set the tone for another impressive performance.
The Kingsmen rebounded in the top of the third, when a leadoff home run was followed by a two RBI triple. They tacked on another in the top of the fourth on a fielding error by Fox to extend their lead, 4-1.
The Bruins refused to go down easily, however, retaliating immediately with four runs — all coming from the Senior class. Jared Whittaker hit a leadoff single, and was scored when John Stone hit an RBI double down the left field line. Both
Jared Miller and
Noah Meffert also hit doubles, driving home two more runs to take the lead, 5-4.
The two teams would play strong defense through the middle of the game, holding each other scoreless for the next three innings. The next run came in the top of the eight, when the Kingsmen loaded the bases and tied the ball game on a sacrifice fly.
Once again, George Fox responded with an incredible display of team spirit — loading the bases with just one out.
Mason Eastman drew a walk to score the go ahead run headed into the ninth inning.
Ryder Edwards stranded two Cal Lutheran hitters on base in the top of the ninth to secure the Bruins' second consecutive Senior Day comeback, 6-5.
Top Performances
The seniors put together a solid team performance to earn the win, led by
Noah Meffert — who finished with a perfect 3-3 performance at bat.
Jared Miller finished 2-3 on the day with two RBIs, while
Jonathan Stone and
Jared Miller both had two hits and a double. On the mound,
Spencer Johnson recorded two strikeouts in his single inning pitched, while
Ryder Edwards got the win.
What It Means
The Bruins improve to 22-16 (10-11 NWC) on the year, while Cal Lutheran now sits at 24-10 (13-8 SCIAC).
What Comes Next
Fox looks to secure a position in the NWC tournament next weekend with a win against Whitworth in their final series of the season. The home series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
