SPOKANE, Wash. -- The George Fox Bruins' baseball team struggled mightily in the first game of their doubleheader against the Whitworth Pirates, falling 21-3, before bouncing back for a 4-2 win in game two.

How It Happened – Game One
The Bruins got two singles in the first that put runners on first and second with two outs before a two-out walk loaded the bases. With the bases loaded Brennan Bates hit a single to right field that scored runners from third and second and gave Fox an early 2-0 lead. However, the Pirates offense got going in the first as well, scoring three runs in the bottom half to take the lead, 3-2 after the first inning. 

The next three innings were brutal for the Bruins, as the Pirates put up 14 runs in those frames, including eight in the third, making the score 17-2 after just four innings of play. Andre Butler hit an RBI single to add another run for the Bruins in the seventh, before Whitworth added four more runs to their total over the next two innings, bringing the final score to 21-3.

How It Happened – Game Two
With a challenging first game behind them, the Bruins settled into the second game behind a first-inning rally that would score three. After right fielder Evan Balingit was hit by a pitch, senior Carson Coulter hit a double to put runners on second and third with just one out. Garrett Strube hit a sacrifice fly that scored Balingit, followed by Bates hitting a ball over the left field fence for a two-run homer to make the score 3-0 in favor of Fox at the end of the top half of the first. 

For the first eight innings of the game, the Pirates' offense completely flipped from the first game, as they were completely stumped trying to figure out Bruins starting pitcher Caleb Debban. Debban struck out the side in the first inning and then carried a perfect game into the fourth inning. In the fourth, the Pirates loaded the bases with a single, a hit-by-pitch, and a walk, but with two outs Debban forced a ground out to escape the jam. Debban shut down the Pirates again in the fifth, once again not allowing a baserunner and maintaining the Bruins lead going into the sixth inning. 

In the sixth, Balingit added an insurance run with a deep blast to left center that cleared the fences and gave GFU a 4-0 lead as they entered the bottom half of the sixth. The Pirates picked up their second hit of the game in the home half, however, Debban once again shut it down and sent Whitworth to the dugout scoreless. 

As Debban's pitch count continued to run towards 100 pitchers (and over it by the end of the inning), the Pirates managed to get a pair of runs across the plate after a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth. Debban still finished the inning, sending the game into the top of the ninth with GFU up, 4-2. 

Fox had runners on second and third in the ninth, but they were left stranded, leaving it up to Ryder Edwards to pick up a save and hold on to the win for GFU. Edwards struck out the first batter, before giving up a double with one out. With a runner standing on second, Edwards struck out the next batter swinging and forced a pop-out to end the ninth inning. Edwards picked up the save and GFU walked out with a win in game two, 4-2. 

Top Performances
Caleb Debban threw eight innings, striking out six compared to just one walk, and holding an offense that had just scored 21 runs to only two. The impressive performance was cemented by the save from Ryder Edwards who picked up a save with two strikeouts. Brennan Bates had four RBI on the day, two in the first game and two in the second including a home run and a double. 

What It Means
After splitting the two games, the Bruins are now 10-9 (4-4 NWC), and the Pirates 13-7 (4-4 NWC). 

What Comes Next
The series comes down to the final game of the three-game series, with the rubber match set to begin at noon on Sunday, March 23rd, in Spokane, Wash.