SALEM, Ore. -- The George Fox baseball team ended their 2026 campaign with 11-1 loss to the Willamette Bearcats, but still picked up the series win to close the year.
How It HappenedÂ
Both teams opened up the game with 1-2-3 innings — with Bruin starter
Aidan Rady striking out two in his final start of his career. However,The Bearcats started getting hot in the second, finding success with four runs thanks to hive hits. In the third,
Evan Balingit found bases with a single for Fox, but no opportunities arose to capitalize.Â
In the next two innings, Willamette added a run for each, taking a 6-0 lead.
Declan Corrigan and
Gabe DeBenedetto had hits in the fourth and
Berkley Reents drew a walk, but no Bruin baserunner was able to reach home. In that time, Willamette scored off a wild pitch to take a 7-0 lead.Â
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The sixth brought more runs for the opposition, Olen Nofziger smacking a home run to add to the Bearcats' success, 8-0. They found two more runs before the inning closed out, 10-0.
In the seventh inning, the Bruins found their final run of the 2026 season.
Andre Butler doubled down left field and
Dylon Poulin came in to pinch-run.
Kaden Oshiro then knocked a single and was replaced by
Ryden Yoshikawa as Poulin advanced to third. Yoshikawa stole second before Reents was up to bat, and created the opening, notching an RBI grounder to score Poulin. Willamette wrapped it up, and with the bases loaded, Adam Birt was hit by a pitch to close out the game with an 11-1 loss for Fox in seven.
Top Performances
Dylon Poulin had the lone run of the game, while
Berkley Reents had an RBI.
Evan Balingit,
Declan Corrigan,
Austin Stalwick,
Gabe DeBenedetto,
Danner Hamburg,
Andre Butler, and
Kaden Oshiro each totaled a hit in their final games in GFU uniform. Senior
Aidan Rady struck out four on the mound in his final start.Â
What It Means
Fox calls it a season as they track a 16-24 (10-14 NWC) overall record. Willamette comes in with a 9-29 mark (5-19 NWC)
What Happens Next
The Bruins will head into their off-season before they return for fall-ball in August, hoping to reach the NWC Tournament in 2027.Â
