NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox baseball team took down their rivals, the Linfield Wildcats, in a 6-3 game — finishing off their NWC opening series strong.
How It Happened
After
Michael Singleton retired the side to start, Fox put together the best first inning of the season;
Joey Marasco reached on a walk,
Garrett Strube on a single, and
Evan Balingit on a bunt single to load the bases before the Wildcats (who entered the game receiving votes in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA polls, could register to out.Then,
BJ Tokushima recorded his eighth RBI of the season with a sac fly to score out Marasco.
Though Linfield picked off Strube,
Brennan Bates recorded a single to start a two out rally, and eventually, Balingit scored on a RBI single by
Adam Fulton. The Bruins then showed great plate discipline, with
Matthew Castillo and
Andre Butler both walking to score an additional run to go up 3-0 and chase freshman starter Jacob Bishop from the game after just 0.2 innings pitched. Though the pitcher changed,
Gabe DeBenedetto walked, scoring the last run of the inning for the Bruins—a strong 4-0 after one inning.
In the top of second, Linfield countered with a home run. However, Fox kept their four-run lead when Balingit responded with a monstrous opposite field homer to right-center-field, ending the inning cleanly with the score at 5-1.
The Wildcats once again gained traction, though, as they scored another run thanks to an RBI triple to right center in the fourth inning. But Fox wouldn't have it, as Bates totaled yet another striking home-run, his third of the series, sending the ball out to left field in the bottom of the fifth.
The box-score was 2-6, and Linfield attempted to catch up, loading the bases with two outs and scoring on a hit-by-pitch to cut the score to 6-3. With the bases still loaded, Fox turned to
Joey Wilcox on the mound, and the junior got out of the jam with a solid strikeout.
Though that would be the last run scored of the game, the finish wasn't without its fireworks. GFU led by three heading to top of the ninth, and sat three outs away from their first conference win of the year.
Cole Schmidt entered the game and recorded a quick out, but walked three of the next four batters to load the bases with two outs. With the tying run on first and the winning run at the plate, the freshman stayed composed, striking out the final Linfield batter to pick up his third save of the year and giving the Bruins a 6-3 victory.
Top Performances
Brennan Bates and
Evan Balingit each had a home run and two hits apiece—Bates claiming his third homer of the series in only two games played.
Adam Fulton scored one run with two hits and one RBI, while
Joey Marasco scored a run as well.
Meanwhile, pitcher
Michael Singleton picked up the win in 5.2 innings pitched, striking out six, while neither
Joey Wilcox or
Cole Schmidt gave up an earned run in their time on the mound. Schmidt earned his third save of the year in the game.
What It Means
The Bruins rise to 3-7 (1-2 NWC), while the Wildcats fall to 7-3 (2-1 NWC) on the season.
What Happens Next
The Bruins will travel up to Walla Walla, Wash. in order to compete against the Whitman Blues (3-5) on Saturday, March 7 for a doubleheader. The first game is scheduled for 11:00 am and the second game for 2:00 pm.
