NWC Baseball: Bruins Edge Loggers Twice for Two-Game NWC Lead

The series concludes with a single game Sunday at noon.

Salem-News.com SPORTS

NEWBERG - Bo Thunell drove in six runs in the first game, including the game-winner in the 10th inning, and Chris Albrecht struck out 12 in eight innings of work in the second game, leading the George Fox University Bruins to 8-7 and 6-5 wins over the University of Puget Sound Loggers in a Northwest Conference baseball showdown between the league co-leaders Saturday afternoon at Morse Field.

Both teams entered play with 8-1 records in conference, but George Fox improved to 17-1 overall, the Bruins’ best record ever after 18 games, and 10-1 in the league, while Puget Sound slipped to 9-9-1 overall and 8-3 in the NWC.

The Bruins now lead the Loggers by two games, while Lewis & Clark College and Pacific Lutheran University, which play each other this weekend, are three and three-and-a-half games out respectively.

In the opener, the Loggers took a 2-0 lead against Bruin starter Nick Bratney in the 2nd as A.J. Jorg singled in Joe Newland and Gregorio Beck.

The Bruins bounced back for a 3-2 lead in the 3rd as Thunell lined his second home run of the season to left off UPS southpaw Evan Scandling after Drew Johnson had reached on an error and Bryan Donohue had singled.

Johnson singled in Josh Burch and Thunell singled in Johnson in the 4th for a 5-2 Bruin lead.

The Loggers knocked out Bratney, the league ERA leader (0.71) coming in, and tied the game in the 5th.

Shaun Kiriu drew a one-out walk, was wild-pitched to second, and score on Austin Kuehn’s single.

Michael Olsen, Newland, and Beck followed with consecutive hits, Newland and Beck collecting RBIs.

Ryan Fobert singled following a single and steal by Daniel Downs to put the Bruins back in front 6-5 in the bottom of the 5th, and Thunell singled in Donohue following a double in the 6th for a 7-5 lead.

The Loggers tied it in the 7th, Olsen doubling and scoring on a hit by Beck, and Beck scoring when Tim Steggall got a bases-loaded single off the foot of reliever Nick Hedgecock.

Hedgecock and Shane Dalgleish held the Loggers scoreless through the 8th and 9th, while sidearmer Jarvis Nohara did the same to the Bruins.

In the top of the 10th, Burch (1-0) came in for the Bruins and stranded two runners by striking out Newland, the league’s home run leader with six, to end the inning, then picked up the win when the Bruins rallied in the home half.

Pat Bailey reached on a juggled grounder at short, and Johnson and Donohue followed with bunt singles to load the bases with nobody out.

With no way to pitch around him, Zach Green (1-1) had to face Thunell, who lined a sacrifice fly to left and Bailey scored the winning run standing up.

In the nightcap, southpaw Albrecht (5-1) fanned eight Loggers in the first four innings and finished with 12 overall with only one walk.

He scattered seven hits but was touched for runs in the 4th and 7th innings.

George Fox got off to a 1-0 lead against righthander Ryan Gustafson (3-1), who went the distance, when Johnson singled, was sacrificed to second, and scored on Thunell’s single to left in the 1st.

The Bruins upped it to 5-0 in the 3rd, Johnson driving in one run with a force out, Donohue singling in a run, and Thunell doubling for another.

Thunell then scored all the way from second when Chris Dunbar made a spectacular backpedaling grab of Dan Wentzell’s line drive to deep right but fell down on the warning track.

The Loggers battled back with three in the 4th.

Albrecht hit Olsen and Newland with one out and Beck singled for one run.

After Tanner Webber walked, the Bruins fumbled a potential double-play grounder that allowed Newland and Beck to score.

Fobert singled in Downs for an unearned run in the 6th, boosting the George Fox lead to 6-3, a run that proved crucial when the Loggers scored twice more in the 7th.

Dunbar started the two-out rally with a single to right, and Kiriu hit a liner to left that turned into a triple when Downs missed a diving catch.

Steggall then singled to right-center, making it a one-run game, but Albrecht got pinch-hitter Kuehn on a grounder to third and then worked a 1-2-3 8th, striking out the last two hitters he faced.

Burch came on in the 9th and retired the side in order with a pair of strikeouts for his third save of the season.

Thunell finished with a 5-for-8 day with eight RBI, while Johnson and Fobert both went 5-for-9 and Donohue was 5-for-6.

Johnson scored four runs and stole three bases, extending his career record for steals to 75, while Donohue scored three times.

For Puget Sound, Olsen was 4-for-7, going 4-for-5 in the opener with a pair of doubles and scoring three runs.

Beck went 4-for-7 with a double, three runs scored and three RBIs.

Steggall was 4-for-9 with two RBIs.

The series concludes with a single game Sunday at noon, with righthanders Preston Langeliers (4-0, 2.19) for the Bruins and Kiriu (2-2, 2.05) expected to square off on the hill.

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