McMINNVILLE, Ore. – In a tightly contested Northwest Conference matchup, the Linfield Wildcats dropped a 3-0 decision to George Fox on Sunday afternoon at Roy Helser Field, ending the series at a 2-1 Linfield advantage. Despite a strong pitching performance, Linfield's offense struggled to capitalize on opportunities, leaving eight runners on base.
The game was a defensive duel through the first seven innings, with both teams locked in a scoreless tie. Linfield's
Jake Swenson delivered a solid outing, allowing just three hits and one earned run over seven innings while striking out eight batters. However, George Fox broke through in the eighth inning, scoring on a Linfield error before Evan Balingit nailed a line drive single that plated two Bruins.
Linfield's offense was led by
Hunter Klingelhoffer, who impressed, going 3-for-4 at the plate, including a single in the sixth inning that gave the Wildcats a chance to break the deadlock.
Matthew Lewis also contributed with a single and a sacrifice bunt, but Linfield couldn't find the timely hit needed to push across a run.
George Fox's Ryder Edwards earned the win for the Bruins after pitching 3.2 scoreless innings and allowing just two hits. Lucas Plenert opened the game on the mound for the Bruins and threw six strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
Zack Hampson and
Carter Studer saw some time on the mound in Sunday's affair, each pitching one inning and allowing one hit.
The loss drops Linfield to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in NWC play, while George Fox improves to 4-6 and 1-2 in conference action.
NEXT
The Wildcats hit the road for the Tucson Invitational Games where they will play four games in two days against Concordia (Wisconsin), Gustavus Adolphus, Carthage and Caltech. The tournament begins on March 7 at the Kino Sports Complex.
