SPOKANE, Wash. – JJ Fahnlander's two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted Whitworth to a 9-7 come-from-behind win over visiting George Fox in the opener of a Northwest Conference baseball series on Saturday afternoon at Merkel Field. The visiting Bruins used their own comeback to win the second game 6-5 in ten innings.
Aidan Morrison had five RBIs and Jaxsen Sweum hit a home run in each game for the Pirates (5-20 overall, 4-10 NWC), while Noah Meffert came up big at the plate and on the mound for George Fox (14-13, 7-7) in the second game.
The teams will complete the series with a single game on Sunday at noon.
Game 1 – Whitworth 9, George Fox 7
The Pirates rallied from a 7-4 deficit to end an eight-game losing streak and pick up their first victory of the season at Merkel Field.
Neither team scored until the third when GFU's Spencer Roos and Jonathan Stone hit back to back home runs as part of a three-run rally.
Sweum hit his first homer of the day in the bottom of the third to get the Pirates on the board.
Jeremy Sangalang's RBI single in the fifth increased the Bruins' lead to 4-1, but Whitworth tied the game in the bottom of the frame thanks to a four-hit rally that included RBI singles by Dawson Warner, Fahnlander and Brenden Duncan.
Roos answered in the top of the sixth with a two-run home run to left field. The Bruins added another run in the seventh after two were out. Sangalang doubled, went to third on a balk and scored on a single by Meffert.
Whitworth took advantage of some luck in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game. With the bases loaded and two out, Morrison popped up to right field. But the ball landed just out of reach of the second baseman, first baseman and rightfielder, just inside the foul line, for a three-run double to make the score 7-7.
With Gabe Gibson on second and Sweum on first with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Fahnlander drove the ball to the gap in left-center for a two-run double.
Hunter Williams, who came on to pitch in the eighth inning, retired the Bruins without allowing a run in the ninth to improve to 1-1. Dillon McCardle started for Whitworth and allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits in 5.2 innings. Dylan Owen pitched 1.1 innings between McCardle and Williams and gave up one run on two hits.
Sean Wiese started for George Fox and allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits in six innings. Ryan Watilo followed and Andrew Sutherland (2-1) recorded one out in the seventh and walked the leadoff batter in the eighth. That proved to be the winning run, even though Alex Abbott gave up the double to Fahnlander.
Sweaum, Fahnlander, Duncan and Morrison all had two hits apiece for the Pirates.
Game 2 – George Fox 6, Whitworth 5 (10 innings)
Trailing 5-2 heading to the ninth, the Bruins rallied to win in the tenth inning thanks to the arm and the bat of Meffert.
Whitworth starter Hunter Dryden and GFU starter Travis Miller were locked in a tight pitchers' duel into the seventh inning. The Pirates scored in the fourth when Sweum drilled his second homer of the day to left field.
The Bruins took a 2-1 lead in the sixth, thanks to Meffert's RBI double and a throwing error on the infield.
Sweum led off the bottom of the sixth with a single, stole second and moved to third on a ground out. Elijah Tanner drove him home with a single to tie the game.
Whitworth took the lead in the seventh after Jeremiah Kennell led off with a single. Riley Cissne laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt and reached first for a single. The rushed throw to first got away, allowing Kennell to score.
The Pirates appeared to gain insurance runs in the eighth when Morrison drilled a two-run homer to left, his first of the season, for a 5-2 lead.
George Fox rallied to tie the game in the ninth. With runners on first and second, pinch hitter Shane White singled to right field to drive in the first run. The throw from right got away at first base, allowing the runners to move up a base. After a strikeout by reliever Riley Whelan, pinch hitter Derek Williams doubled to left to drive in the tying runs.
Cissne led off the bottom of the ninth against Meffert, who had come on to pitch, with a triple off the top of the wall in right-center field. It missed being a game-winning home run by inches. The Pirates ended up loading the bases with one out, but Meffert struck out the next two batters.
Sangalang scored an unearned run in the top of the tenth after he reached and went to second on a throwing error. He moved up to third on a fly ball to left center and scored on Meffert's sacrifice fly to right.
Meffert retired the side in the 10th, the game ending on a 4-6-3 double play.
Dryden had his best game on the mound this season, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks in seven innings. He struck out a career-high 11 batters. Hunter Williams (1-2) was the hard-luck losing pitcher for the Bucs after giving up an unearned run and no hits in one inning.
Meffert (4-1) picked up the win with two innings of two-hit relief. He had four strikeouts.
