NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox baseball team got off to a hot start in their home matchup against the Lewis and Clark Pioneers but couldn't seal the deal, eventually dropping both games of the doubleheader, the first 8-10 and the second, 7-2.
How It Happened - Game One
The Bruins' bats were hot from the start, exploding out of the gate to take the early lead.
Gabe DeBenedetto doubled down the left field line and
Carson Coulter followed with an RBI single to bring him home.
Garrett Strube doubled to move Coulter to third, before
Mason Eastman brought him in with an RBI groundout to extend the lead to two.
Both starting pitchers contained the hitters for the next two innings, before the Pioneers struck back in the top of the fourth — stringing together an RBI single and a homer to take the lead, 3-2.
Fox answered immediately in the bottom of the inning, putting runners in scoring position after drawing a walk and a hit-by-pitch.
Danner Hamburg singled to drive in the tying run, before the Bruins capitalised on a throwing error to regain the lead.
Evan Balingit singled to put runners on the corners with two outs, and DeBenedetto came up clutch — launching a three-run homer to widen the game, 7-3.
However, the drama was far from over. The Pios tacked on a run in the fifth inning, before capitalising on Fox's trouble finding the strike zone in the sixth — bringing in three runs from walks and another two from an RBI single, giving Lewis and Clark the lead, 9-7.
Fox fought back with a single in the seventh inning that narrowed the gap to just one run, but it wouldn't be enough. The Pios added on an insurance run in the top of the ninth and the Bruins couldn't find an answer in their final inning, eventually dropping the game, 8-10.
How it Happened - Game Two
Caleb Debban held the Pios scoreless through the first two innings of the second game, and just like the first, it was Fox who struck first.
Garrett Strube and
Austin Stalwick both singled to lead off the bottom of the second, before
BJ Tokushima drove in the opening run with an RBI single.
Lewis and Clark responded in the top of the third, however, putting two runners in scoring position and then bringing one home on an RBI groundout to level the score. The Pios added on another with an RBI single to take the lead at the end of the inning, 2-1.
The Pios tacked on another three runs in the fifth inning to widen the gap to four, and Fox struggled to gain any real momentum with the bat. The Bruins did capitalize on a Pioneer pitching lapse in the bottom of the seventh, drawing three straight walks before Strube brought home a run with an RBI to make the score 2-5.
Any real hopes of a comeback were dashed over the next few innings, however, as the Pios drove in one run in the eighth and had a homer in the ninth to extend their lead, 7-2. Fox had just one hit in the final two innings, eventually dropping the game and the series.
Top Performances
Garrett Strube hit 4-9 on the day with two doubles and an RBI. Gabe Debenedetto impressed in the first game, hitting 2-4 while also driving in three runs and scoring another two himself.
Carson Coulter was 2-5 in game one with an RBI, while
Evan Balingit and
Austin Stalwick each recorded a hit in both games on the afternoon.
On the mound,
Ryder Edwards had the best performance for Fox, giving up four hits and four runs in his five innings pitched, while striking out four batters.
What It Means
The Bruins now sit at 11-16 (5-11 NWC), while Lewis and Clark improves to 14-13 (7-7 NWC).
What Comes Next
The Bruins will look to regain momentum with a win in the final game of the home series tomorrow. The first pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Morse Athletic Field.
