NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox baseball team played against the Whitworth Pirates for their first two games of the doubleheader, losing 9-2 in the first game after scoring two back-to-back runs in the sixth inning only, and then scoring two homers in the first three innings of the second game—but ultimately losing 4-2 after the Pirates scored in overtime.

How It Happened - Game One
The Bruins fell behind the Pirates quickly when Whitworth scored four runs solely in the first inning. Then, in third, Whitworth inclined up to 7-0, scoring on two sac flies to grab control of the game.

Eventually, two Pirates homered in the fourth inning to give the Bruins a nine-run deficit.. However, in the bottom of the sixth, the Bruins loaded the bases with Adam Fulton, BJ Tokushima, and Evan Balingit all walking. With two outs, Declan Corrigan singled to left field to score Tokushima and Balingit Each team was unable to advance their scores following that moment, with Fox dropping the game, 9-2.

How It Happened - Game Two
Fox took the first run in inning two when Brennan Bates notched his fourth home run of the season, sending the ball out to left field to put GFU up, 1-0. Fox kept their lead through the third inning as well—Gabe DeBenedetto followed his teammate with another home run to left field, the score rising to 2-0.

Whitworth countered with a run in the top of fourth, but Fulton attempted to respond with a single to push Tokushima into scoring position. Unfortunately, the attempt proved fruitless and Pirates managed to tie the score when they scored on a bunt single and throwing error, tying the score 2-2. 

In the bottom of sixth, Fox tried to pull ahead of the Pirates when Balingit walked and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Fulton singled to center field, and Balingit attempted to get home. A throw from Whitworth center fielder Dominic Giusti's throw reached home, just beating Balingit home. The Bruins had just one baserunner over the next three innings as the game drifted into extra innings. Whitworth pulled out two runs in the top of the final inning, and, though Joey Marasco had a single in the 10th, the Bruins fell in the game, 4-2.

Top Performances
Gabe Benedetto was a top performer scoring one run with two hits, while Evan Balingit and BJ Tokushima scored one run each as well—Brennan Bates with one run and one hit total. Joey Marasco had three hits on the day, while Declan Corrigan had two hits in his second game start. Spencer Simon pitched for five innings and gave up just one hit in game one, while Bryan Ho pitched 5.2 innings with five strikeouts.

What It Means
The Pirates rise to 11-11 (6-1 NWC), while the Bruins fall to to an overall of 7-12 (5-5 NWC).

What Happens Next 
The Bruins will continue their doubleheader with the Whitworth Pirates tomorrow on Sunday, March 22. The game is scheduled to start at 12:00 pm.