Bruins Make It 13 Straight by Rallying Past Cavaliers

Dan Wentzell was the only Bruin with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with three RBI.

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NEWBERG - Drew Johnson singled in the go-ahead runs in the 8th inning, then pitched a 1-2-3 9th for a save as the George Fox University Bruins rallied from six runs down to overcome the Concordia University-Portland Cavaliers 10-7 for their 13th win in a row in a non-conference baseball game Wednesday afternoon at Morse Field.

In a game with no consequences for either team in their respective conference races, both coaches decided to go with several pitchers, the Bruins using eight hurlers and the Cavaliers five.

George Fox entered the game with a 1.80 staff ERA, but the Concordia hitters had apparently not bothered to check the numbers, as they came out swinging and piled up 11 hits in the first three innings against southpaw starter Nick Hedgecock and righty reliever Jeff Wheeler.

The Cavs got on the board in the 1st when Cody Herrick scored on Mike Hall’s single up the middle that was knocked down by shortstop Josh Burch, and James Mannion came in to score on the play when Burch threw wildly to first trying to catch Hall.

The visitors made it 5-0 in the 2nd and knocked out Hedgecock when Ryan Sussenguth tripled in Josh Mandin and Kyle Waterland and then scored on Herrick’s single.

The Bruins got one run back in the 2nd when Daniel Downs doubled and scored on Ryan Fobert’s ground single to right, but the Cavs responded with two more in the 3rd, Paul Jaques singling in Hall and Casey McLeod for a 7-1 Concordia lead.

That turned out to be the Cavaliers’ last gasp, however.

Mannion got a two-out single off Chris Albrecht in the 4th, and that was the last hit the Cavs would muster as the Bruins used a different hurler in each of the last six innings.

The Bruins got another run in the 4th when Dan Wentzell walked, stole second, and scored on Matt Wyckoff’s double.

Wentzell cut the deficit to 7-5 in the 5th when he slugged a three-run home run to right, his third of the season, after a walk to Bryan Donohue and a single by Bo Thunell.

Pat Bailey singled to lead off the 7th, advanced to third on a wild pickoff try, and scored on Johnson’s sacrifice fly to left to make it a one-run game.

Wentzell started the Bruins’ winning rally in the 8th off Chad Lucas (0-1) with a hit off the back-handed glove of second baseman Derek Shigano, and when the ball died in shallow center, he hustled it into a double.

Downs sacrificed him to third, and after an intentional pass to Wyckoff, Fobert tied the game with a sacrifice fly to right.

Burch and Bailey drew walks, and Johnson drove in Wyckoff and Burch with a liner to right. Bailey scored an extra run on a wild pitch.

Johnson came on in the 9th to preserve the first college win for freshman Shane Dalgleish (1-0), who had worked a perfect 8th and was the benefactor of the Bruins’ winning rally.

Johnson retired the side on three ground balls to notch his first save.

Wentzell was the only Bruin with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored. Johnson also had three RBI.

For Concordia, Mannion was 3-for-3, while Sussenguth and Herrick had two hits each.

George Fox extended its best-ever start to 13-0, while Concordia fell to 2-11.

The Bruins visit Whitworth College this weekend for a Northwest Conference series, starting with a doubleheader Saturday at noon.

The Cavaliers host the University of British Columbia Saturday in a noon doubleheader in an important NAIA Region I series.

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