PARKLAND – Chris Bishop pitched Pacific Lutheran to a 2-1 win in the opener and George Fox picked up a 9-3 win in the second game as the 23rd-ranked Lutes split a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader against the Bruins Saturday afternoon at PLU Field.

Bishop threw eight innings and allowed only one unearned run while striking out seven to earn his fourth win of the season. AJ Konopaski picked up his NCAA Div. III-leading eighth save of the season after striking out two in the top of the ninth. Ian Buckles took a complete-game loss for George Fox, allowing two runs on seven hits in eight innings to fall to 2-4 this season.

Landon Packard cranked his second home run of the season and finished the opener with a pair of hits. Jacob Clements and Ben Welch each added two hits for the Lutes. George Fox got on the board first, scoring on a passed ball in the second after a double and single put a pair of runners in scoring position.

Packard tied it up in the bottom of the fifth, driving a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left center with one out. The Lutes added the eventual game-winner later in the inning, as Brett Johnson and Welch hit consecutive singles and Curtis Wildung walked to load the bases. Connor Cantu hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Johnson from third and give the Lutes the 2-1 lead.

The Lutes scored first in the second game, as Jacob Bockelie hit a one-out single in the bottom of the first and Clements followed with a double to put runners at second and third. Bockelie came in to score on a passed ball, matching the first run from the opener. Bockelie tallied a game-best four hits and scored two of the Lutes' three runs, while Cantu and Welch each added a pair of hits.

George Fox took its first lead in the top of the third. The inning opened with a PLU error, and consecutive singles followed to load the bases with no outs. Zach Rapacz doubled to left center to score two, and Andrew Reichenbach drove in the Bruins' third run with a groundout to first.

PLU tied it with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Singles by Cantu and Clements sandwiched a George Fox error that allowed Bockelie to reach, loading the bases for PLU with no outs to match the opportunity the Bruins had in the top of the third. Collin Nilson worked a five-pitch walk to force in a run, and Tyler Thompson tied it with a sacrifice fly to right.

George Fox broke the tie with four runs in the fifth. Singles by AJ Valencia and Rapacz set the stage for a double by Reichenbach that scored the first two. Jake Thran followed with another double to pick up the Bruins' third run of the inning, ending Garrett Brown's day on the mound after 4.1 innings pitched. Brown struck out seven but allowed six earned runs to take his first loss of the year. Cory Nelson allowed an RBI single to Ansel Webster before recording the final two outs.

Nelson pitched 4.1 innings in relief, allowing two more runs before coming out of the game with two outs in the top of the ninth. George Fox scored its final two runs in the top of the seventh, again taking advantage of consecutive doubles by Rapacz and Reichenbach. A sacrifice fly by Webster scored Reichenbach with the final run of the day.

Rapacz and Reichenbach each totaled three hits in the second game, with Reichenbach driving in four runs to lead the Bruins. Sean Eberhardt pitched the first 4.2 innings for George Fox, allowing eight hits and three runs. Michael Hirko earned the win for the Bruins after throwing the final 4.1 innings without allowing a run. PLU out-hit George Fox 14-13 in the second game but stranded 12 runners on base in the loss.

PLU finishes the day at 18-8 overall and 11-6 in conference play, while George Fox goes to 12-15 overall and 8-6 in the NWC. The two teams will match up in the rubber game of the series Sunday at 12 p.m. at PLU Field.