Box Score SPOKANE, Wash. – Matthew Young threw Whitworth's first complete game of the season and led the Pirates to a 7-1 win over visiting George Fox on Sunday, completing a three-game Northwest Conference baseball sweep at Merkel Field.
Whitworth improved to 10-7 overall and 5-1 in the NWC, taking over the top spot in the league standings. The 18th-ranked Bruins fell to 14-6, 8-4. The Bucs outscored GFU 24-4 in the three-game series.
Young completely dominated an offense that came into the weekend leading the NWC in batting average, runs scored, RBIs, extra base hits and slugging. Young (3-2) tossed a three-hitter while striking out six batters and walking none.
The Bruins scored their only run of the game in the top of the fifth inning after Young had thrown four perfect frames to start the game. Kyler Brudnick led off the fifth with a ground ball single and stole second. He moved to third on a fly ball out and then scored on Matt Voelzke's sacrifice fly to tie the game 1-1.
Whitworth had taken a 1-0 lead in the second after Tyler Bailey led off the frame with a double and eventually scored on Casey Isa's ground ball.
After the Bruins tied the game, the Pirates retook the lead with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Liam Fitzpatrick laced a one-out double and scored on Joel Condreay's single through the right side of the infield.
Condreay's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh gave Whitworth a 3-1 lead. Ben Wintringer followed with a two-out, bases-loaded single that scored Spencer Locati and Taylor Poffenroth.
The Pirates scored two more runs in the eighth. JT Phelan drove in one with a single and Condreay scored on Locati's sacrifice fly.
Alex Jondal started on the hill for GFU and fell to 3-1 despite allowing only two runs on six hits in six innings. Three Bruins followed up in relief, allowing five combined runs on four hits and four walks in three innings.
Fitzpatrick, Phelan and Wintringer all had two hits each. Condreay and Wintringer each drove in a pair of runs.
Whitworth will hit the road for another big NWC series at second place Pacific Lutheran next weekend.
