NEWBERG, Ore. – Two big scoring innings were all the George Fox University Bruins needed to blow out the Willamette University Bearcats 12-5 in the first game of a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday afternoon here at Morse Field, and the second game was suspended by rain with the Bruins ahead 3-0 after an inning and a half.
Willamette starter Peter Hoffman (2-4) came into the opener with a 2.19 ERA, but the Bruins wasted no time inflating that figure as they scored seven first-inning runs, six of them earned. The frame began innocently enough as Matthew Zeller beat out a 15-foot tapper in front of the plate and Zach Miller walked. Josh Rapacz lifted his average over .500 with a sharp run-scoring single up the middle, and after a wild pitch, Danny Clifford lined a single to right to score Miller. Timothy Williams also singled to right to send in Rapacz, and Clifford scored from third when Williams stole second and the catcher's throw to second bounced off Williams' helmet and into center. Derek Dixon's double to right-center scored Williams, but Dixon was caught trying to advance to third on a pitch in the dirt for the first out.
The Bruins were up 5-0, but the inning wasn't over. Zac Israel was hit by a pitch and Zach Hegelmeyer doubled down the left-field line, sending Israel to third. A passed ball allowed Israel to cross over, and Emmett Ackerlund's ground out to second plated Hegelmeyer.
Over the next four innings, Hoffman settled down and only allowed one base runner, on a walk in the fourth. The Bruins knocked him out with five more runs in the sixth, however. Dixon doubled to right, Hegelmeyer singled him to third, and Ackerlund delivered him with a sacrifice fly to deep center that also sent Hegelmeyer to second. After a wild pitch, Zeller was hit and Miller singled to right to score Hegelmeyer. Rapacz tripled into the left-field corner to score Zeller and Miller, and Clifford doubled to right-center as Rapacz scored the Bruins' final run.
George Fox starter Clay Gartner (4-0) no-hit the Bearcats for four-plus innings until Brandon Chinn singled cleanly to center with one out in the fifth. His string of 18 consecutive scoreless innings finally ended in the seventh when Willamette scored on a single by Matt Hirsch, a double by Tiras Koon, and an RBI grounder to third by Ben Petersen.
The Bearcats knocked Gartner out in the eighth when they loaded the bases with none out on a single by Rolenn Himuro, a walk to Austin Hagarty, and an infield single by Tyson Giza when Gartner was late covering the bag on a grounder to first. Reliever Michael Hirko allowed a run in on a wild pitch, Hagarty scored on a force out at third, and Koon singled to center to score Hunter Gallant. Spencer Eager came on to get out of the inning, then allowed a final run in the ninth on an RBI single by Andrew Wilson that scored Himuro, who had singled and advanced to second on a bunt by Hagarty.
Gartner finished with seven-plus innings, scattering six hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Hoffman fanned four and walked two in 5.2 innings and was touched for 12 hits and 12 runs, 11 earned.
Five Bruins - Miller, Rapacz, Clifford, Dixon and Hegelmeyer - had two hits each out of the Bruins' total of 13. Rapacz scored twice and drove in three. Koon and Himuro had two hits apiece for the Bearcats, who had nine in all.
George Fox improved to 13-5 overall and 6-1 in the conference with the win, while Willamette slipped to 6-11 overall and 2-5 in the NWC.
In the second game, the Bruins scored three in the first off Albert Garcia on a two-run double by Williams and a sacrifice fly by Dixon. Southpaw Connor Harris threw two scoreless, hitless innings for the Bruins. The game will be resumed Sunday at 11:00 a.m. with the Bruins coming up in the bottom of the second, and will be followed by the third game of the series.