NEWBERG, Ore. -- For the second time in two weeks, the George Fox baseball team came oh-so-close to a game two win. After losing game one to the Puget Sound Loggers, Fox nearly came back in game two, tying the game in the bottom of the ninth but losing in extras, 10-8.
How It Happened - Game One
The Loggers took the first run in the top of second, scoring early on a home run. Puget Sound continued the inch ahead when they scored on a two RBI single in the fourth inning to go up, 3-0.
Fox didn't manage their first hit until the bottom of the seventh when
Garrett Strube singled to center field. But the eighth inning was where the Bruins came to life. After a PS run,
Adam Fulton doubled to left center. Then,
Declan Corrigan singled to center field, and Fulton slid to the home plate, locking in their first run of the day—4-1.
Kaden Oshiro grounded out to close the inning, Puget Sound claimed another run on an RBI single in the ninth inning. Though the Bruins had a hit when
Evan Balingit singled to shortstop, Fox took the loss, the final score rounding out to 5-1.
How It Happened - Game Two
In game two, Fox started out strong as
Joey Marasco singled to left field, before Strube was hit by a pitch. Eventually,
Brennan Bates singled to left field, allowing Strube and Marasco to score. This put the Bruins up 2-0 with four hits for the inning — the total number of hits in game — placing them at a slight advantage.
The Loggers made up for the lack of action from the second inning, scoring a five-run run in the top of third—homering to right field immediately, and then taking advantage of a fielding error to take a 5-2 lead;
BJ Tokushima had the answer for Fox, hitting an infield single to score Balingit and make the score 5-3.
Then, when Puget Sound made no progress in the top of fourth, the Bruins managed to get ahead again—
Gabe DeBenedetto hit another infield single, this one to the pitcher, before Marasco singled to left field to put DeBenedetto in scoring position. Strube waited for his pitch, smacking his third homer of the year to put the Bruins back on top.
GFU lead, 6-5 — but not for long. The Loggers tallied three more runs thanks in part to a homer of their own., jumping ahead 8-6, and the Bruins helpless in the bottom of fifth. The game then switched from an offensive showcase to a defensive battle. Jack galanida and
Andrew Miller battled for Fox, keeping the Loggers off the board. The Bruins had a solid chance in the bottom of the eighth, with three hits in the inning (including an infield single from Strube), but Fox popped up to end the frame without any damage.
The Bruins quickly struck again, though — and were sure to cash in.
Brennan Bates started with a double and
Adam Fulton followed with a barely-fair right line double to put two Bruins in scoring position. Tokushima then singled to score pinch runner
Kaden Oshiro. Next,
Andre Butler hit an RBI grounder out to shortstop, scoring Fulton. Though the Bruins had a chance to complete the comeback with another pinch runner, Corrigan, on third, a pop-up sent the game to extra, 8-8.
The Loggers gave Fox a run for their money right off the bat, homering to left center on the fourth pitch, before scoring another run later in the top of tenth. The Bruins ran out of steam,going three-up, three-down, and losing in the hard-fought game, 10-8.
Top Performances
Adam Fulton scored two runs and totaled three hits for both games, while
Joey Marasco and
Garrett Strube each scored two runs—Strube gathering three hits and three RBI total.
Gabe DeBenedetto scored one run and two hits, while
Brennan Bates had three hits. On the mound, Aiden Rady struck out six while
Andrew Miller struck out five.
What It Means
The Bruins fall to 7-16 (5-9 NWC), while the Loggers rise to 15-9 (6-5 NWC).
What Happens Next
The Bruins will play a final game against Puget Sound over the weekend on Saturday, April 4. Staying in Newberg, the game is scheduled to start at 12:00 pm.
