SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth settled for split in an explosive Northwest Conference baseball double header against visiting George Fox on Saturday at Paul Merkel Field. The Pirates outscored the Bruins 18-13 in the first game, and fell short in the ten inning nightcap 11-10 despite a dramatic ninth-inning rally.
Whitworth (8-19, 5-11 NWC) and George Fox Fox (12-16, 6-10 NWC) play the rubber match on Sunday. The final game of the series was rescheduled to 11AM on Sunday in an effort to avoid forecasted rain.
Game 1- Whitworth 18, George Fox 13
Whitworth rallied for eleven runs in the first inning to kick-start a 24-hit performance.
The Bruins' Jeremy Sangalang got things started with an RBI single and later came around to score on a balk to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Whitworth's offense erupted for eleven runs on seven hits in the bottom of the first inning. Aidan Morrison, Riley Cissne, Austin Paul, and Elijah Tanner all recorded a two RBI single in the inning. The eleven runs was Whitworth's biggest offensive performance in a single inning this season.
The Pirates increased the lead to 13-2 in the second inning after RBI singles from Jacob Doughty and Dawson Warner.
The Bruins cut the deficit to two runs after a big nine-run top of the third inning. Highlighting the inning was Sangalang's grand slam, his first homerun of the season. George Fox crept within one run of the Bucs' after a bases loaded balk in the top of the fourth.
Whitworth responded in the bottom of the fourth with two runs, including a solo shot from Blake Barrett, his first collegiate home run. The Pirates extended their lead to 18-12 after scoring three runs in the fifth inning with RBI's from Paul, Warner, and Barrett.
The Bruins scored one more time in the sixth inning with Spencer Roos' RBI single.
George Fox's starting pitcher Jonathan Stone (0-4) went just 0.1 innings while allowing six runs on two hits.
Hunter Williams (1-3) allowed only two runs on three hits over the final six innings of the game to get the win in relief of Giovanni Costello.
Whitworth recorded 24 hits in the game, seven Pirates had a multi-hit performance. Hunter Dryden and Jacob Doughty both finished 4-4.
Game 2- George Fox 11, Whitworth 10
The Bruins came out on top despite Whitworth hitting back-to-back homeruns in the bottom of the ninth to push the game to extra innings.
The Pirates grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first inning that included a two RBI triple from Henry Zaske. The Bucs' added two more to their lead in the second inning with Warner's sacrifice fly and an RBI single from Zaske.
Breyndon Nakamura got GFU on the board in the third with a sacrifice fly. Sangalang hit his second home run of the day in part of a four-run fifth inning to tie up the game.
The Bruins took an 8-5 lead in the seventh inning with Nakamura's two RBI triple down the right field line, and a bases loaded walk. In the ninth inning, Carson Coulter & Brandon King increased the lead to 10-5 with back-to-back RBI doubles.
Whitworth tied it in the bottom of ninth. The first blow was Hunter Dryden's grand slam to right center and Austin Paul followed quickly with his first collegiate home run, a solo shot to right.
George Fox was able to push across one run in the 10th inning and hold the Pirates scoreless to get the 11-10 victory.
Ethan Whitney started for the Bruins, pitching five innings while allowing five runs and nine hits. Alex Abbot (1-1) threw the final two innings and got the win in relief, despite giving up five runs and five hits.
The Pirates' starting pitcher Dylan Bishop threw 4.2 innings and allowed four runs on five hits. Whitworth used five relief pitchers to complete the game.
Zaske went 4 for 5 with three RBIs to lead the Pirate offense. Whitworth tallied 40 hits in the double header.
