LOS ANGELES -- The George Fox baseball team suffered a close defeat against the Occidental Tigers Sunday afternoon, leading by as many as seven runs but giving up six runs in the eighth inning in a 12-14 loss.

How It Happened 
The Bruins started the game strong with four first inning runs to jump in front of the Tigers. Andre Butler was the first to score for the Bruins; The junior reached via single, and scored from second after an Austin Stalwick RBI double. One batter later, Garrett Strube had an RBI double of his own, allowing for Mason Eastman and Stalwick to score two more runs for the Bruins. The last run came from Strube himself, scoring after Kale Ho's single to center field. The Tigers struck next, scoring one run in the first inning, but the opening stages were all Fox.

After a scoreless second inning, the Tigers added on one more run in the bottom of the third — making the score 4-2. Fox countered quickly with another big move in the fourth inning with a second four-run inning. This time, Ho scored a run for the Bruins off of a single from Shayde Koga, before Evan Balingit had an RBI double giving Koga and Shane McClendon the opportunity to score. Balingit then scored an error to extend the lead to 8-2. Occidental scored another run in each fourth and fifth innings, with Fox leading 8-4.

The Bruins struck  again in the sixth inning with three more runs — a Carson Coulter RBI single and a Stalwick RBI triple getting the job done. But as Fox advanced to an 11-4 lead, the tides changed. Occidental scored two runs to close the gap to five. The Bruins scored an additional run, but it was the bottom of the eighth when the game completely changed.

Up 12-8, the Tigers got a glimpse of hope, scoring a run thanks to a failed pickoff attempt, two wild pitches, and a double that scored two runs. This set off a cascade for Occidental, with the Tigers scoring five runs before Fox could manage an out; the eighth inning saw five walks, three wild pitches, and six runs on just two Tiger hits. After leading all day, the Bruins trailed, 12-14. One half-inning later, the Tigers put the Bruins to rest with three outs in four batters, handing GFU the heartbreaking loss.

Top Performers
Shayde Koga led the team, finishing with a total of three hits and two runs. Evan Balingit had two runs and two hits, while Austin Stalwick also had two runs and two hits. In his first career start as a pitcher, Lucas Plenert had three strikeouts in three innings of work. 

What It Means 
The Bruin baseball team now has a record of 1-3 going after their opening weekend, while Occidental improves to 1-3.

What Comes Next
The George Fox baseball team is headed to Phoenix, Ariz. to play in their next game on February 21st against North Central. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:30pm.