George Fox 9, CSU-East Bay 8

Bruins Hang On to Edge Pioneers in Home Finale.

Salem-News.com Sports

NEWBERG, Ore. - Preston Langeliers struck out Marc Tuttle and Patrick Desmond with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position in the top of the 9th inning, preserving a 9-8 win for George Fox University over the California State University-East Bay Pioneers in the Bruins’ final home game of the season Monday afternoon here at Morse Field.

The Bruins had built up a 9-1 lead after six innings on the strength of 14 hits, three East Bay errors, and some Pioneer pitching wildness. In the 1st inning, the Bruins got on the board when Drew Johnson and Pat Bailey singled, advanced on a sacrifice, and scored when Dan Wentzell’s ground ball was booted at second. The Pioneers got one run back in the 2nd when Diego De Alba singled to score Tuttle, who had reached on a fielder’s choice and moved up on a grounder to third.

In the 3rd, Bailey doubled and came in on Wentzell’s single to make it 3-1 Bruins. It was Bailey’s 21st double of the season, tying the GFU single-season record set by Mark Tyler in 1999. In the 4th, Kyle Seymour doubled, advanced on Johnson’s bunt single, and scored on Bailey’s grounder to short. In the 5th, Ryan Fobert stroked a two-out hit, Seymour was hit by a pitch, and Johnson singled to right for a 5-1 Bruin advantage.

The Bruins appeared to have the game salted away after they added four more in the 6th. Bryan Donohue and Wentzell walked to start the inning, and Kyle Kuenzi, running for Donohue, scored when Daniel Down’s bunt single was thrown away for an error. Matt Wyckoff scored Wentzell with a ground out, and Evan Hagen singled in Downs. Hagen scored from second when Johnson got an infield hit up the middle that was fielded by the shortstop, who then dropped the ball, allowing Hagen to come around.

Bruin starter Josh Burch (4-1) scattered six hits through six innings, striking out three, but faltered in the 7th. Lamonte Toney led off with a double, and after a fly out, Desmond doubled for a run, De Alba singled, and Bland doubled in Desmond. Southpaw Nick Hedgecock took over for Burch, but after striking out Marco Cartegena, he surrendered run-scoring doubles to Jesus Muela and Jacob Haberman, cutting the Bruin lead to 9-6.

Langeliers came in to get out of the inning and worked a 1-2-3 8th, but ran into trouble in the 9th. Kirk Ekstrom popped a lead-off single into center, and after a ground out, Haberman was hit by a pitch and Michael Thomasson lined a single to center, loading the bases. Toney then chopped a slow roller to third for an infield hit, but Seymour, starting at third in place of injured regular Bo Thunell, threw the ball away after a bare-handed pickup as Ekstrom and Haberman scored and the other runners went to second and third. Langeliers earned his second save, however, by getting Tuttle looking and Desmond swinging.=

The Bruins finished with 15 hits off Pioneer starter Steven Roll (5-5) and two relievers, led by Johnson, who was 4-for-5. Bailey, Wentzell, Hagen, and Seymour had two hits apiece. Toney was 3-for-5 to pace the Pioneers, who also had 15 hits, while Muela, De Alba, and Bland had two hits each.

George Fox, ranked 28th in the NCAA Division III, is now 30-6, while Cal State-East Bay is 20-17. The Bruins end the regular season with a three-game series Friday-Sunday at 2nd-ranked Chapman University in Orange, Calif., starting with a 7 p.m. contest Friday. The Pioneers conclude their season with a three-game home series against California Lutheran University, starting with a 3:00 PM single Friday.

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