SPOKANE, Wash. - Luis Tovar's home run capped a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning as Whitworth came from behind to defeat league-leading George Fox in the final game of a Northwest Conference baseball series on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Merkel Field. The visiting Bruins won the opener of today's doubleheader 16-4.

Luis Tovar

The Pirates broke a seven-game losing streak and are now 5-21 overall, 3-17 in the NWC. George Fox is 20-7, 15-3 and remains tied in the loss-column with Linfield atop the conference standings.

GAME 1: George Fox 16, Whitworth 4 - Complete box score
Kyle Kuenzi and Matt Wyckoff, the top two batters in the George Fox order, combined for five hits and six runs batted in to lead the Bruins to the win.

George Fox scored in each of the first five innings, putting the game away with nine runs in the top of the fifth. Kuenzi capped the big inning with a three-run homer, his first of the season.

Whitworth had pulled within 7-4 on Kyle Krustangel's three run home run in the bottom of the fourth before the Bruins exploded in the fifth.

Mark Putney earned his first win of the season for GFU, allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in six innings.

Peter Birdwell fell to 1-7 for Whitworth after allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits in two innings.

Chad Flett

GAME 2: Whitworth 5, George Fox 4 - Complete box score
Chad Flett pitched a strong game for the Pirates, keeping his team close before the rally in the bottom of the seventh. Flett (2-2) went the distance allowing four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks.

Flett settled down after the third batter of the game, Bo Thunell, hit a three run home run for an early 3-0 George Fox lead. The Pirates got within 3-2 in the fourth when Krustangel hit his second home run of the day, a solo shot to right center field.

Wyckoff led off the sixth with his sixth homer of the season to give the Bruins an insurance run.

The winning rally began with an infield single, followed by Krustangel getting hit by Bruin reliever Chad Jones. Jones then was called for consecutive balks, allowing the tying run to score and Krustangel to move to third. Mitch Nelson hit a ball to the right field wall for a sacrifice fly that scored the tying run. Jones was ejected following the play and Wyckoff came on to pitch. After Wyckoff struck out Andrew Durant for the second out of the inning, Tovar pinch hit for Whitworth catcher Taylor McMahon and drove the first pitch he saw from Wyckoff (1-1) over the right center field fence.

Nelson finished with two RBIs for the Pirates without getting a hit. Krustangel had two hits to lead the the Bucs. Kuenzi was the lone Bruin with more than one hit in the game.

Whitworth will travel to Pacific Lutheran next weekend for a four-game series that will begin with two nine-inning games on Friday. George Fox returns home to host Whitman in another four-game conference series.