THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The George Fox baseball team put together an electric team performance in the first game of the doubleheader to level the series, but was unable to continue this momentum in the final game, falling to the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen to drop the series, 1-2.

How It Happened - Game One
Game one was a classic pitcher's duel, with both teams limited to just three hits through the first seven innings. Cal Lutheran struck first, capitalizing on a defensive miscue by the Bruins to grab the lead, 1-0. Despite the early unearned run, Bruin starter Aiden Rady remained locked in, allowing just two hits in his five innings pitched to keep Fox within striking distance.

The Kingsmen's pitching staff kept the Bruins in check for much of the game, stifling the offense as Carson Coulter and Garrett Strube were the only Fox hitters to notch a hit through seven innings. But, when the Bruins finally found their rhythm in the eighth, they made it count.

Freshman Bryan Ho drew a walk to get Fox on base, setting the stage for Andre Butler, who roped a clutch double to right field to bring in the tying run. From there, the floodgates opened. Evan Balingit followed with a single to drive Butler home and give the Fox their first lead of the game. Noah Takayama kept the pressure on, singling up the middle to push Balingit into scoring position. That set the table for Coulter, who delivered a clutch double down the left field line for another RBI, extending the Bruins' lead to 3-1.

Cal Lutheran wasn't about to go quietly, responding in the bottom half of the inning. The Kingsmen took advantage of a hit by pitch and strung several hits together to score, trimming Fox's lead to just one, with the tying run on base. Needing a win to keep the series alive, the Bruins turned to standout closer Ryder Edwards to put out the fire. He wasted no time, forcing the next batter to ground into a double play, and Fox escaped with their lead intact. 

Fox exploded to tack on five insurance runs in the final inning, which began with back-to-back hit-by-pitches, as both Mason Eastman and Garrett Strube took free passes to get on base. Bryan Ho then reached on a defensive error which brought in a run, before a single from Butler made the score 5-2. Yet another miscue pushed the lead to 6-2, before Balingit loaded the bases with a single. A sacrifice fly from Takayama and one more defensive mistake from the Kingsmen saw Fox tack on two more runs before the inning ended.

With the 8-2 lead reliever Ryder Edwards had plenty of cushion, and he shut the door decisively, sealing the dominant win the level the series heading into the final game.

How it Happened - Game Two
The second game was a different story, as the Bruins struggled to generate any offensive rhythm against the Kingsmen pitching staff. On the other hand, Cal Lutheran came out firing, stringing together several timely hits while capitalizing on two Bruin errors to jump out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. 

George Fox could only manage two hits in the next three innings, while Cal Lutheran continued to build on their early advantage. In the fifth inning, the Kingsmen added two more runs, extending their lead to 7-0. Despite the best efforts of the Bruin pitching staff to limit the damage, Cal Lutheran's offense remained relentless, and a triple in the sixth inning increased the deficit to nine runs.

The Bruins fought hard on the mound to hold the Kingsmen scoreless in the final two innings, but were unable to find a spark with the bat, eventually dropping the game, 0-9, to lose their first series of the year.

Top Performances
Andre Butler had another solid outing with the bat, finishing 3-7 on the day with two runs, two RBIs and a double. Carson Coulter was 3-8 across both games, with an RBI and a double in game one. Evan Balingit was also a crucial piece of Fox's win on the day, going 2-5 with an RBI.

On the mound, Aidan Rady was nearly flawless in the first game, giving up just two hits and no earned runs in five inning pitched. Spencer Johnson was also impressive, pitching two innings in the first game for just one hit and no runs, to be credited with the win.

Coach's Thoughts
"Today was much like a roller coaster," Bruin head coach Kevin Kopple said,  "It had highs, lows, loops and drops. Proud of our performance late in game one.  Had to play from behind in game two and never got on the tracks.  Cal Lu is a really good team.  Hope we can finish the trip well tomorrow."

What It Means
The Bruins went 1-1 on the day to move to 1-2 for the season, with four more games before their NWC opener.

What Comes Next
The Bruins will look to pick up their first win of their 2025 campaign when they take on the Occidental Tigers tomorrow in Los Angeles, Calif. to wrap up their California swing. The first pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.