NEWBERG, Ore. -- Despite a hard-fought opening nine innings, the George Fox baseball team couldn't snap their losing streak, with five 10th-inning runs being the difference in a 8-13 Bruin loss.

How it Happened 
Fox roared out of the gates, taking advantage of early Bearcat miscues and jumping out to a lead. Three Bruins were hit by pitch in the opening five batters, with a Garrett Strube double scoring two of those three. Austin Nissen and Noah Takayama each had doubles of their own, and when all was said and done, Fox had a 5-1 lead after the first inning.

Willamette whittled away at the Bruin lead, tying the game in the fourth inning,  but Fox countered with a Carson Coulter sac fly scoring Mason Eastman to put the Bruins up, 6-5. Before long, though, it was the Bearcat in front — scoring three runs over the next two innings to take an 8-6 lead.

This time, it was Fox's turn to come back and chip away at a deficit of their own. An Evan Belingit RBI single in the seventh cut the Willamette lead to 8-7, with Strube scoring a run to tie the game thanks to a Nissen sac fly. With two innings in regulation, the score was knotted, 8-8.

Ryder Edwards kept the Bearcats off the board in the next two innings, but GFU couldn't capitalize; the Bruins' best chance came in the eighth, with Isaac Snyder reach back after being hit by pitch (Willamette's sixth of the game) and pinch runner Kaden Oshiro reaching third with two outs. A harmless fly ball and uneventful ninth inning had the game sent to extra frames, 8-8.

The 10th inning had a disastrous start for Fox — with three errors in the first three batters giving Willamette two runs with no one out. The Bearcats then hit three singles, and after a hit by pitch, Willamette was up, 12-8, with the bases loaded and no one out. Fox forced a double play and a ground out, conceding just one more run, but the damage was done: five unearned runs from the Bearcats gave the Bruins an insurmountable deficit.

Though Nissen was able to reach base in the bottom of the 10th, no other Bruins could, giving Fox another heartbreaking loss.

Top Performers
Austin Nissen recorded his first three RBI in the game, ending a career performance with two hits and one run. Mason Eastman and Garrett Strube each recorded two runs and two hits, while Evan Balingit totaled two well-placed sac bunts. Aidan Rady struck out three on the mount

What It Means 
George Fox's 13th straight loss sees the Bruins slip to 11-27 (5-17 NWC), while the Bearcats improve to 14-21 (11-11 NWC)

What Comes Next
The Bruins will have one final game day, finishing off the series with Willamette on Sunday, May 4. Following the game, the team will honor their 10 seniors who graduated the day before.