SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitworth took late leads twice on Saturday, but could not hold off league-leading George Fox in either half of a Northwest Conference baseball doubleheader at Merkel Field. The Bruins rallied from a 3-2 deficit to win the opener, then took a see-saw 12-11 decision in the nightcap.

The Pirates dropped to 4-20 overall and 2-16 in the NWC. George Fox improved to 19-6, 14-2.

GAME 1: George Fox 8, Whitworth 4 - Complete box score
Whitworth rallied to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth, but George Fox put three runs together in both the seventh and the ninth to defeat the Pirates 8-4.

Bo Thunell had three hits and scored twice, while Taylor Hunter added three hits and drove in two runs to lead the Bruins at the plate. Hunter hit his first home run of the season to highlight the three-run ninth.

Mitch Nelson hit his second home run of of the season, and drove in two runs to lead the Pirates. Whitworth rallied in the sixth with a sacrifice fly by Nelson and a squeeze bunt by Chris Bartenhagen that scored Luis Tovar.

Nick Bratney pitched a complete game for George Fox to improve to 3-2. He allowed four runs on 11 hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

Nathan Johnson (1-3) kept the Bruins off balance for much of the game before tiring late. He went 8.2 innings and gave up seven earned runs on 14 hits with two strikeouts and a walk.

GAME 2: George Fox 12, Whitworth 11 - Complete box score
Whitworth rallied for eight runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to grab an 11-10 lead, but George Fox put together single runs in the seventh and ninth to win 12-11.

Thunell hit a two-run homer in the first, then added a two-run double in the Bruins' four-run second to help GFU grab a 6-1 lead early in the game.

Whitworth trailed 10-3 in the sixth before putting together its largest scoring inning of the season. JR Jarrell hit a three-run homer, his third of the season, to pull the Pirates within 10-7. Kevin Valerio added a three-run shot later in the inning that put the Pirates up 11-10.

GFU tied the game in the seventh on Cody Curtin's RBI single. The Matt Wyckoff's RBI single with two outs in the ninth drove home the winning run.

Thunell drove in seven runs on three hits to lead the Bruins at the plate. Wyckoff added three hits with two RBIs and three runs scored.

Jarrell and Valerio each had three hits and three runs batted in to lead the Pirates. Landon Scott finished the game 4 for 5 at the plate. Whitworth's 19 hits is the second highest total of the season.

Travis Schroeder (4-2) pitched two innings of perfect relief to pick up the win on the mound for George Fox, while Chad Jones tossed the ninth and allowed only a single to earn the save. Whitworth's Peter Birdwell pitched the final two innings and gave up the final run to fall to 1-6 for the Pirates.

The two teams will complete their series tomorrow with two seven-inning games Merkel Field. First pitch is scheduled for noon.