NORTHWEST CUP: Bruins Edge Lady ‘Yotes but Fall Hard to Host Cavs in Tournament

CLACKAMAS, Ore. – Taking advantage of the College of Idaho’s wildness, the George Fox University Bruins rallied for a 5-4 win over the Lady ‘Yotes in the first game but fell victim to two big innings in a 15-2 loss to the host Concordia University-Portland Cavaliers in their second game of the Northwest Cup softball tournament Saturday here at Hood View Park.

Game 1 - George Fox 5, College of Idaho 4

After falling behind 3-0, the Bruins managed to put together five runs on only four hits, accepting 11 walks from three Lady ‘Yote hurlers, then stranded the tying and winning runs on base in the last of the 7th.

The ‘Yotes scored two unearned runs in the 2nd and got a 300-foot blast of a home run from Alexis Macias in the 3rd to build a 3-0 lead.  The Bruins got one of those back in the 5th when Kerrianne Davidson, Jenny Milton, Kris Trindle and Felicia Chavez all drew walks, the last one forcing in a run.

Macias (2-1), on in relief of Idaho starter Kayla Park, gave up a single to Rachel Fielder to start the George Fox 6th, then after an out, walked Davidson and pinch-hitter Genetta Bennett to load the bases.  Janelle Weibold replaced Macias and was greeted by a single up the middle by Milton that plated Fielder and Davidson to tie the score. 

The inning kept going when Trindle hit a grounder back to the mound, but Weibold could not decide which base to throw to and finally just held the ball for a fielder’s choice.  Chavez then walked to force in Nicole Renteria, who had re-entered for Benett, with the go-ahead run, and Mckynna Towery drew a two-out free pass that plated Milton with a critical insurance run. 

The ‘Yotes picked up another unearned run in the bottom of the 6th on a walk to Weibolc, a wild pitch by Bruin starting southpaw Fielder (1-0), a passed ball, and a wild pitch by reliever Erin Hento.  In the last of the 7th, Trindle made a diving catch in shallow center for the first out before Jordan Huttash hit a pinch-single and Rachel Strong was hit by a pitch with two out.  Hento notched her first save by inducing Kristen Haugen to fly to center, however.

Fielder worked 5.2 innings, scattering five hits and only one earned run allowed with two strikeouts and two walks before Hento finished up.  College of Idaho pitchers fanned five but walked 11. 

Game 2 - Concordia-Portland 15, George Fox 2

The Cavaliers batted around in both the 1st and 2nd innings, scoring five and seven runs respectively, to put the game away early and limit it to a five-inning contest.  Allyssa DenDekker (2-2) started for the Bruins and gave up bunt singles to Sam Genskay and Allison Gunter, an RBI double to Laura Luther, and walked Tobey Varney before suffering a slight leg injury.  Hento came in, wild pitched in a run, then gave up a two-run double to Kyndell Andrews before the final run scored on an error, one of four the Bruins made in the game that led eventually to eight unearned runs for the Cavs.

In the 2nd, the Cavaliers collected six hits and benefitted from two Bruin errors and two walks.  A two-run single by Gunter capped the seven-run explosion, but only one of the runs was earned.  The Cavs added superfluous runs in the 4th and 5th innings.

George Fox got its runs in the last of the 5th.  Davidson walked, Bennett reached on an infield single to second, and Rachel Sunquist walked.  Two outs later, Chavez beat out a grounder to second for a hit on which both Davidson and Bennett, who never stopped running around third, scored. 

Ashley Suter went the first two innings for Concordia before Lacey Romo (1-3) worked the final three frames to get the win.  The Cavs banged out 19 hits off the Bruins’ two hurlers, with Gunter going 4-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored.  Jennifer Lutton had three hits and Genskay two.

NEXT: George Fox (4-4) plays two more games in the Northwest Cup Sunday, taking on the defending NAIA national champion Oregon Intitute of Technology at 11:00 a.m. and Northwest Christian University at 3:00 p.m.