MONMOUTH, Ore. — In their midweek game, the George Fox baseball team went head-to-head against DII Western Oregon; the Bruins were able to keep with them until a huge offensive seventh inning from the Wolves allowed the team to win 9-2.
How It Happened
The game began with an early Wolves advantage in the first after a well-placed single and a few walks brought in a runner to score. However, the Bruins defense — along with pitcher
Grant Baskin — were able to get out of the high pressure inning mostly unscathed after preventing any more runs to come in with a base loaded situation. GFU maintained their dominant defense in the second after a one-two-three inning, this time with
Taylor Franklin on the mound. It didn't take long before Western Oregon's bats picked up once again; by the end of the third they made the score 3-0.
It wasn't until the top of the fourth that GFU got a chance to showcase their own offense — especially with
Austin Stalwick. With a driving swing on a 2-2 pitch, Stalwick sent the ball over the left field wall for a solo homer to put Fox on the board, 3-1. Despite George Fox answering back, the Wolves remained unfazed and were able to add one more to their score after an early double and RBI.
The fifth was another heavy defensive inning on both sides of the field. For GFU,
Luke Haener was on the mound making it difficult for WOU to put the ball in play. Using their defensive momentum from the inning before, the Bruins bats began to heat up again in the sixth. This time around, a hard-hit single to center field from
Gavin Price began the rally. Danner Hambu followed not far behind with a solid single of his own — this one to the right side — to place Price in scoring position at second. All it took was a
Calvin Gully base hit to send Price sliding safely into home to close the gap in score to half, 4-2.
Once again however, Western Oregon remained unbothered and continued to create distance in the score over the next few innings. By the end of the seventh inning, their advantage increased to 9-2. While the Bruins were able to hold them in the final innings with
Spencer Simon pitching, Fox was unfortunately unable to get their bats going again leading to a WOU win, 9-2.
Top Performances
Offensively, Fox had a collective seven hits over the course of the game against their DII opponent. Danner Hambu led the way with two, while
Austin Stalwick recorded one hit thanks to his solo homer in the fourth. For RBI's, Stalwick and
Calvin Gully had one apiece;
Joey Marasco was also creating chaos on the field and ended the game with two stolen bases.
What It Means
Western Oregon (DII) rises to 14-20, while George Fox is now 8-17 (6-9 NWC).
What Happens Next
The Bruins will travel to Portland, Ore. to continue their conference play against Lewis & Clark on Saturday, April 11. Fox will start the series with a doubleheader that is scheduled to begin at 12:00 pm.
