NWC Baseball: Bruins Conclude Conference Play by Blanking Pioneers

It was the ninth straight win for the Bruins.

Salem-News.com SPORTS

NEWBERG, Ore. - Josh Burch threw a five-hit shutout, the second consecutive whitewash job by George Fox University pitchers and third in the last four games, as the Bruins concluded the Northwest Conference portion of their baseball schedule with a 3-0 win over the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers Monday afternoon at Morse Field.

Burch (3-1) out-dueled Pioneer ace Jordon Smiley (2-6), who was almost as stingy. Burch struck out seven, walked one, and allowed only three runners as far as second base.

Following up a four-hit shutout by lefty Chris Albrecht Sunday, Bruin hurlers have now gone 22 straight innings without allowing a run.

Smiley scattered eight hits, fanned three, walked one, and only one of the runs off him was earned.

After four scoreless innings, the Bruins finally broke through in the 5th. Trevor Winsor, starting at short in place of Burch, opened the frame with a solid single to left and moved up on Drew Johnson’s ground single to left.

Bo Thunell walked with one out to fill the bases, and Dan Wentzell, the league RBI leader, drove in his 50th run with a sacrifice fly to deep right.

The Bruins added two unearned insurance runs in the 6th. Matt Wyckoff beat out an infield single to the right side and went to second when second baseman Sam Marthinsen’s throw went into the Pioneers’ dugout.

Evan Hagen’s sacrifice bunt was thrown down the right-field line by catcher Neal Finch, allowing Wyckoff to score and Hagen to reach second. A passed ball sent Hagen to third, and Ryan Fobert’s sacrifice fly to center got him home.

The Pioneers gave the Bruins a scare with two out in the 9th.

Corey Lowell kept the inning alive with a sharp ground single just inside the first-base bag and Finch reached when Winsor mishandled his slow roller to short.

Abe Kaempf then made a bid for a game-tying home run, but Daniel Downs hauled it in against the fence in left to end the game.

It was the ninth straight win for the Bruins, who improved to 28-5 overall and ended conference play with a 19-5 record.

The Bruins are assured of at least second place in the conference, but need help from the University of Puget Sound this weekend if they are to win or share their sixth straight NWC title.

First-place Pacific Lutheran University is 18-3 in league play, and needs just one win in its three-game home series with UPS Saturday and Sunday to claim a share of the crown and the NWC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Two PLU wins guarantees them the title outright. Only three losses by PLU would give George Fox the outright crown and the automatic bid.

The Bruins have six regular-season games left: a three-game home series with California State University-East Bay Apr. 29th-30th and a three-game set at Chapman University May 4th-6th.

A strong showing in those games would enhance the Bruins’ chances for an at-large bid to the playoffs.

The East Bay series begins with a single game Sunday at 3:00 PM, with a doubleheader Monday at 11:00 AM.

Lewis & Clark is now 12-20 overall and 8-15 in the conference.

The Pioneers will play their final game Thursday, resuming a conference game with Willamette University that was suspended on Feb. 11th.

The game will be played under the lights at Linfield College in McMinnville, starting at 6:00 PM.

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