NEWBERG, Ore. --- The Pacific Lutheran Baseball team looked to sweep the weekend series on the road against the George Fox, coming up short due to a ninth-inning rally from the Bruins to take the game, 8-7 over the Lutes.
 
For the fourth straight game the Lutes put runs on the board in the opening inning, as Rutger Youch continued to put on a hitting clinic with a one-out triple into right centerfield. Youch scored on a sacrifice fly from Aaron Barber. Ashton Barton also kept his bot warm following yesterday's performance, doubling down the right field line and later scoring on a single up the middle by Rochne Beecham.
 
The Bruins put a number on the board in the first as well, opening the inning with a leadoff home run off of Lutes starter Wyatt Norris. Norris would escape the first inning with just the lone run as he stranded two Bruins runners in scoring position.
 
Norris would not make it out of the second though, as two runners would reach to start the inning due to a pair of Lutes fielding errors. A two-run triple would end the starters day, as Jon Crawley would come in relief for Norris with one out in the second. Crawley's first batter grounded out to the shortstop to give the Bruins a 4-2 lead.
 
As the top of the Lutes order came back around in the third inning, Youch and Barber found the outfield grass which led to Barton reaching on a fielder's choice to second base. Beecham added to his impressive RBI total on the season, ripping a single to right field, scoring two runs and tying the game up at 4-4.
 
Crawley settled in and allowed just one hit in innings three through five. In the sixth, the Lutes took the lead once again as Barber drew a bases-loaded walk prior to Barton hitting a single to right field and scoring two more runs. The Bruins opened the seventh with three straight singles and would score one run on a sacrifice fly. The Lutes led 7-5 after six frames.
 
George Fox cut into the deficit in the eighth on a sacrifice fly shortly after Anthony Adams relieved Crawley on the bump. A 7-6 lead with three outs to go proved to not be enough as Adams hit two batters and walked one to load the bases with no outs. Cole Becker took over for Adams on the mound after his short outing, but another sacrifice fly and walk would score the two winning runs for the Bruins, earning a 8-7 walk-off win.
 
The Lutes outhit the Bruins, scoring seven runs on 13 hits whereas GFU scored eight runs on just nine hits. Barber's hit streak continues as he goes three for three with two runs batted in and one walk. Beecham drove in three of the Lutes seven runs on Sunday in his two-for-four performance. Adams earned his first loss of the season in his one inning of work.
 
Baseball will spend spring break in southern California, as they are set to take on California Lutheran in a three game set next Friday and Saturday before heading to CMS for a single game on Sunday, March 24^th.
 
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