NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox baseball team entered their doubleheader against the No. 10 Claremont Mudd-Scripps Stags, earning at least a split in the four-game series; Game one ended with a close 5-4 loss, but game two was all the Bruins — Fox earned their second win over the top-10 Stags, 12-6.
How It Happened - Game One
The first three innings held no hits for either team. In the first,
Evan Balingit and
Brennan Bates made it to first and second, but nothing followed. The second contained quick outs all around, and the third was similar to the first, as
Lucas Plenert battled CMS starter Tegin Maloney traded blows.
Claremont Mudd-Scripps took action in the fourth, scoring two runs on back-to-back hits, 2-0. Their defense was strong as well, holding Fox to three straight outs. Then, Rider Gordon hit a home run in the fifth to put the Stags, ranked No. 10 in the D3baseball.com Poll and No. 11 in the ABCA Poll, up by three. The Bruins finally found success in the sixth.
Garrett Strube walked, before
Evan Balingit drew one as well (the senior would go on to draw three on the day). Bates was up to bat and singled, driving home Strube, 3-1. With the bases loaded after
Andre Butler was hit by a pitch,
Dylon Poulin struck out, but reached on a dropped third strike as Balingit found the way home, 3-2.
The Bruins' defense locked down in the seventh, with
Jack Galanida retiring the first three batters he faced. They kept it up on the offensive end, tying it up. It began with
Joey Marasco singling,
Garrett Strube followed, also singling on a bunt, with Marasco advanced to third on a throwing error. Balingit then reached on a fielder's choice, also scoring Marasco to tie the game, 3-3.
CMS jumped one above off a sacrifice fly in the eighth, 4-3.
BJ Tokushima earned a hit, and pinch runner
Declan Corrigan got to third for Fox before they saw their third out. In the final inning, the Stags found another to make it 5-3, but Fox had one last chance. Strube walked for the Bruins, before Balingit singled.
Adam Fulton also singled, letting each Bruin advance a base. Corrigan walked with an RBI on his record, bringing up Butler with a chance to tie the game. Unfortunately Fox couldn't find any other opportunities, finishing with a 5-4 loss after a groundout.
How It Happened - Game Two
CMS opened up the game with a run, the first either team had had in the series to that point, 1-0. However, Fox had a few first-inning runs of their own. The Bruins took advantage of a shaky start from Stag starter Parker McGraw, who tallied four HBPs and four wild pitches in 1.2 innings. Fulton had a double, with Strube walking and moving to second after Corrigan was hit by a pitch.
Austin Stalwick doubled down towards right field, clearing the bases and putting Fox ahead, 3-1.
Fox did their job and gave the Stags no opportunity to run —
Bryan Ho striking out the side. Poulin and
Kaden Oshiro were both hit by pitches, before Poulin seized the chance on a wild pitch to score, putting Fox up by another, 4-1. Strube was hit as well and found second. Then, Corrigan stepped to the plate, hitting a beautiful home run — a 396-foot bomb that was the first of his collegiate career, to record the only hit of the inning as Fox scored four and went up six, 7-1.
In the fourth, the Stags scored three runs on a wild pitch and a two RBI single, chasing Ho from the game and bringing in
Spencer Simon. Simon forced a fly out to keep the game 7-4.
Fox retaliated in the fifth, using a huge two-out rally to score three of their own. The rally started with Fulton finding first after an error by the shortstop. Strube signalled to left field, Corrigan was next and walked, and all bases were now loaded by Fox. Another Bruin was hit by a pitch, this time Stalwick, scoring a run.. The bases remained Bruin-heavy, and
Calvin Gully was hit by yet another pitch, also finding an RBI of his own, 9-4.
Jayson Au Hoy walked to give Corrigan an unearned run, getting a six-run lead, 10-4.
In the sixth, the Stags found a hit towards right center and took the opportunity to score two runs (10-6). Yet, they couldn't stay on the success train, Fox's outfielders keeping them out for the rest of the top. The Bruins got close to finding another run, loading the bases again in the seventh, but couldn't capitalize.
In the seventh, it was the Stags' turn to strand runners; after CMS loaded their bases with just one out, pitcher
Cole Schmidt forced a strikeout and a flyout, and the Stags stayed at six runs.
The Bruins' defense stayed consistent, allowing no runs again in the eighth as
Andrew Miller stepped into the game before Fox earned their last two runs of the doubleheader. Strube began the eighth with a single, before Stalwick doubled.
Gabe DeBenedetto stepped up and signalled a beauty to center field, scoring Strube and pinch runner
Ryden Yoshikawa, 12-6.
For the second straight day,
Andrew Miller put a stop to any CMS comeback ideas, allowing just one hit as the Bruins earned their second win over the nationally-ranked Stags in as many days, 12-6.
Top Performances
For game one,
Evan Balingit earned an RBI, a hit, and a run.
Brennan Bates tracked an RBI and hit.
Declan Corrigan also gained an RBI.
Garrett Strube completed two runs, and
Joey Marasco had one. On the mound,
Lucas Plenert struck out eight. For game two,
Austin Stalwick led with four RBI and two hits. Corrigan followed with three RBI, three runs, and two hits.
Gabe DeBenedetto gained two RBI.
Calvin Gully and
Jayson Au Hoy had an RBI apiece. On the mound,
Andrew Miller got the win in game two after being tabbed as the most effective reliever.
Lucas Plenert struck out eight in game one.
What It Means
The Bruins now go 12-20 overall, while Claremont Mudd-Scripps sits at 23-10.
What Happens Next
The Bruins will wrap up their series against Claremont Mudd-Scripps on Sunday, April 18th, at 11:00 am.
