TACOMA, Wash. — The George Fox University baseball team dropped their first game against the University of Puget Sound Loggers, 11-3, before winning a bounce-back game, 4-3. The win in game two ended a five-game losing streak and left the Bruins and Loggers tied in the weekend series.

How It Happened — Game One
The Bruins offense got out to a quick start in the first game of the afternoon, with Carson Coulter hitting a two-run home run with one out to give Fox an early, 2-0 lead. The Loggers responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the first, scoring a run with an RBI single to make the game 2-1 after the first full inning. 

The two teams traded scoreless innings in the second and third innings, with Bruins' starter Aidan Radey getting a pair of strikeouts in the second. The Loggers tied the score at the bottom of the fourth, plating a runner with a sacrifice fly with runners on the first and third. Rady got the next out to send the game to the top of the fifth inning, where Evan Balingit hit a solo homer that gave Fox back the lead, 3-2. 

The Loggers loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning and then proceeded to score six eight runs with two outs, hitting three different RBI singles, and two different RBI doubles. After the dust had settled, the Bruins found themselves going into the top of the seventh, down 10-3. 

The Bruins offense weren't able to gain any traction in the final three innings, and the Loggers tacked on one more run in the seventh to make the final score 11-3, with the Loggers on top. 

How It Happened – Game Two
Caleb Debban got the start in game two and found himself in a pitcher's duel through the first five innings. Both teams did not score a run until the bottom of the fifth, and Debban racked up four strikeouts in the first four frames. 

The Loggers scored first in the fifth, however, getting three runs (two unearned) with the bases loaded with two outs. The runs made the game 3-0 going into the top of the sixth inning, where Fox put runners on first and second for Garrett Strube, who picked up an RBI single to left field. 

The Bruins had the bases loaded later in the inning but were unable to get another run across, sending the game into the bottom of the sixth with the Loggers up, 3-1. 
In the bottom of the sixth, Ryder Edwards took over on the mound in relief of Debban and proceeded to end the inning with a pair of strikeouts. GFU continued to edge closer with a home run from second baseman Shayde Koga. The deep shot brought the Bruins within a run heading into the eighth inning. 

With one out in the eighth, Strube worked a walk with one out, bringing up Mason Eastman as the potential go-ahead run. With Strube on first, Eastman launched a ball over the fence that scored two runs and gave the Bruins a 4-3 lead, their first lead of the game. In the bottom of the eighth, the Loggers had runners on second and third with two outs, when Edwards struck out the final batter of the inning for the most timely strikeout of the day. Edwards shut down the Loggers in the ninth, ending the game with a 4-3 Bruins win. 

Top Performances
Evan Balingit picked up four hits and an RBI while scoring a pair of runs. Mason Eastman picked up three hits on the day, including the game-winning homer in the second game. Ryder Edwards threw three and two-thirds scoreless innings and racked up six strikeouts along the way.

What It Means
The Bruins now sit at 11-14 (5-9 NWC), and the Loggers are now 14-10 (6-5 NWC). 

What Comes Next
The final game of the three-game series comes on April 6, with first pitch scheduled for noon at Tacoma, Wash.