NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox baseball team's 2025 campaign came to a close, ending their year on a high note with a win in their final doubleheader of the season against Willamette — taking game one, 7-6, before dropping game two, 8-13.
How it Happened - Game One
The Bruins quickly took control in the first game of the doubleheader, using a solid final outing from starting lefty
Caleb Debban to take an early lead. Fox scored twice in the third inning, with
Bryan Ho scoring
Gabe DeBenedetto with an RBI single, before being driven in himself with a sac fly from
Garrett Strube; after three innings, the Bruins led, 2-0.
Though Willamette scored one run apiece in the fourth and fifth inning, the Bruins countered again — using several extra base hits to extend their lead to 6-2.
Mason Eastman was the first of those extra bases, sneaking a ball into fair territory with a double down the left field line to score Strube and Ho. Then, it was freshman
Matthew Castillo's turn to make an impact, hitting a home run in just his 14th collegiate at-bat (and second career hit), stretching Fox's lead to four.
Just as Fox seemed to have the momentum, the Bearcats snatched it back. Willamette scored one run in the seventh before coming alive in the eighth, using four straight hits and a three-run homer to tie the game, 6-6.
Ryder Edwards entered the game in the ninth inning, and left the frame unblemished despite two baserunners — a solid hustle play on a fly ball from Eastman kept the Bearcats off the board. Then, the bottom of the ninth came. For the second time in as many games, GFU had a chance to break their losing streak.
DeBenedetto got the Bruins started early, singling and reaching second on an error before advancing to third on a fly out. Strube walked, and up came Eastman with a chance to give Fox the win. On a day where the Bruins would be honoring their 10 sernios, it was the fifth-year senior who was the hero — Eastman found a gap through the left infield, walking off Willamette with an RBI single to score DeBenedetto and give Fox the thrilling 7-6 win.
How it Happened - Game Two
The second game proved to be a different story for the Bruins, who fell down early and got into a large deficit due to several big innings. Willamette started the game with three straight singles in the first, and scored two runs in the second thanks to a failed pick off and wild pitch to take a 3-0 lead.
Fox attempted to stay in the game with Eastman scoring on a throwing error, but the Bearcats extended their lead with two four-run innings. Willamette scored four runs on two hits in the top of the fourth as a big two-out rally was aided by three wild pitches and four walks. The Bruins fared no better in the top of the sixth, with three batters hit by pitch as Willamette scored four runs on one hit to extend their lead to 11-1.
The Bruins seemed to be in danger of losing their last game of the season via run rule, but Fox pieced together a solid comeback effort to keep the Bearcats honest.
Stanley Schoppe's first career triple got the home team in scoring position, with
Danner Hamburg's RBI single making the score 2-11. Eastman followed with a sac fly to score
Kaden Oshiro and cut the Bearcats lead to eight.
In the eighth inning, though, the Bruins roared to life.
BJ Tokushima got things going with a single, before advancing to second on a wild pitch — the first of four wild pitches in the inning. Oshiro, Hamburg,
Noah Takayama, and DeBenedetto all also recorded a hit as the Bearcat lead was trimmed to four, 7-11.
That would be as close as the Bruins got, however, with WIllamette scoring two runs in the ninth to grab control back.
Isaac Snyder scored the final run of the season for George Fox, scoring thanks to a Kaden Oshio single to center field as the Bruins lost their last game of the season, 8-13.
Following the game, the George Fox fans honored the 10 seniors in the Class of 2025:
Caleb Debban,
Shane McClendon,
Spencer Johnson,
Braeden Munger,
Carson Coulter,
Stanley Schoppe,
Austin McQuilliams,
Austin Nissen,
Mason Gronewald, and
Brett Eskelson.
Top Performers
Gabe DeBenedetto totaled five hits for the day — four of which came in the first game — three of which went for extra bases, while
Danner Hamburg recorded three hits in game one and two in game two..
Matthew Castillo and
Stanley Schoppe each recorded a collegiate first: the freshman Castillo hitting his first home run while the senior Schoppe notched a triple.
On the mound,
Caleb Debban struck out eight batters while
Ryder Edwards earned the win in game one.
Grant Baskin had the highlight moment of game two, striking out his older brother Drew, a Bearcat second baseman, to get the crowd and bench fired up.
What It Means
George Fox ends the 2025 season with a 12-28 (6-18 NWC), while the Bearcats were eliminated from NWC Tournament contention with their loss in game one, ending the year 15-22 (12-12 NWC)
What Comes Next
The Bruins will be back at Morse Athletic Field in 2026 for their next season of play.
