NEWBERG, Ore. - Sterling pitching performances by freshman Taylor Whitmore and senior Erin Lee, backed by stellar defense and timely late-inning hits, carried George Fox University to a pair of 2-1 wins, the first in 11 innings, over the Corban College Warriors in the Bruins' season-opening softball twinbill Saturday afternoon here at Morse Field.

In the first game, Whitmore (1-0) out-dueled Corban's Makenzie Marchbanks (2-4), scattering eight hits while striking out nine with five walks in her college debut.  Marchbanks was equally sharp, spacing five hits with 11 strikeouts and only two free passes.

George Fox got on the board first in the 3rd inning when Serena Lee, playing her first game since missing the entire 2009 season due to a torn meniscus, was hit by a pitch with two outs, stole second and third, and scored on Nicole Renteria's double to right.  Corban knotted it in the 5th as Brittany Wagner singled to left, Jessica Schell walked, and after an unassisted double play by Kerianna Davidson at first on Rebecca Anni's line drive, Jessica Pierce singled to center to score Wagner.

Bruin catcher Shelby Klein threw out two runners trying to steal in the 6th, speed merchant Liane DeHart at second after a leadoff bunt single, and Rebecca Franke at third following a strikeout by Erica Fitzgerald for a double play.  The Warriors also missed a golden chance in the 8th when DeHart led off with a triple to the right-center gap before Whitmore stranded her with a shallow fly to right, a pop to second, and another routine fly to right.

The Bruins finally capitalized in the 11th as Shelby Briske singled to left, stole second with two out, and scored on Shelby Klein's sharp grounder through the hole on the left side.  Left fielder Franke juggled the ball momentarily but Briske was coming home anyway and beat the throw easily when the ball hit her as she dove for the plate.

In the second game, the Bruins again took an early lead as Serena Lee was hit by the first pitch from starting pitcher Wagner (1-3) in the bottom of the 1st, stole second and third, and scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Bethany Chriss.  Fitzgerald's third home run of the season to left-center tied it in the top of the 2nd. 

Corban put runners at second and third with one out in the 6th when Pierce singled and Franke's sacrifice bunt to third was thrown away by Chriss, but Erin Lee (1-0) got out of the jam as Pierce was thrown out at home on a grounder to Serena Lee at short and Fitzgerald flied to center.

The Bruins pushed across the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning when Renteria led off with a bunt single and Briske doubled off the top of the fence in center, her third hit of the game, sending Renteria all the way home from first.

In the Corban 7th, Nicole Sikes led off with a double off the glove of Renteria in left.  Wagner then reached on an infield single that was smothered in the hole at short by Serena Lee, who came up and faked a throw to first, then tagged out Sikes, who had wandered too far off of second.  Erin Lee then nailed down the victory by inducing grounders to second and third for the final two outs, finishing with a five-hitter with one strikeout and no walks.  Wagner also allowed five hits and fanned two with no passes in a quick game of one hour and five minutes.

George Fox (2-0) plays two games Sunday in the Northwest Cup tournament hosted by Concordia University-Portland at Hood View Park in Happy Valley, Ore., taking on the College of Idaho at 9:00 a.m. and Northwest Christian University at 1:00 p.m.  Corban (4-7) will be out to snap a six-game losing streak when it visits Linfield College next Saturday for a 12:00 noon doubleheader.