ANTHEM, Ariz. – Already 4-2 with a win over second-ranked Chapman University entering Friday's play in the Arizona Desert Classic, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Stags picked up two wins against Northwest Conference teams, including a 9-4 win over the George Fox University Bruins in the afternoon here at Boulder Creek High School.
The Stags, who earlier in the day beat the Bruins' fellow NWC member Linfield College 5-3, took advantage of miscues to score a pair of unearned runs in both the 3rd and 4th innings, erasing an early 1-0 George Fox lead. Bruin starter Tom Zarosinski (0-2) pitched well until the 5th, when the Stags erupted for four runs to go ahead 8-2. Eric Kittelson followed Zarosinski with two shutout innings and Brian Davis threw well over two innings, allowing two hits and a run while striking out two, but the damage had been done.
The Bruins collected eight hits off Claremont pitching, with Jared Chase banging out three hits and Josh Rapacz two. Chase, Rapacz, Danny Clifford and Timothy Williams each drove in a run for George Fox.
"All in all, we're looking better day by day," said Bruin coach Marty Hunter. "Our pitching wasn't bad - Tom just had one 'hiccup' inning - and we hit a lot of balls hard today that were right at people. If we can cut down on our physical mistakes at inopportune times and get on a roll, we still have a chance to be pretty good."
The Bruins will be out to snap their seven-game season-opening skid Saturday when they take on Concordia University-Austin, the defending American Southwest Conference champion, at 1:30 p.m. at the Sandra O'Connor High School Field in Phoenix.
The Arizona Desert Classic features 12 D-III teams - four from the Pacific Northwest, four from California, and four from Texas - with games being played at Sandra Day O'Connor High School in Phoenix and at Boulder Creek High School in suburban Anthem. For complete tournament information, including the entire schedule, field locations, admission costs and other information, go to the information sheet on the George Fox baseball website at http://athletics.georgefox.edu/sports/bsb/2011-12/files/adcinfo.pdf.
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