NEWBERG, Ore. – With a Northwest
Conference softball doubleheader sweep of the Lewis & Clark
College Pioneers Sunday afternoon here at Morse Field, 3-2 in the
first game and 10-6 in the second, the George Fox University Bruins
stretched their season-ending winning streak to four in a row,
their longest of the season.
George Fox had to rely on some late clutch hitting to pull out
the opening win after the Pioneers broke up a scoreless duel
between the Bruins' Erin Lee (9-12) and their own Paige
McFeeley (1-13) with two unearned runs in the 5th inning.
Jet'aime Mullins doubled to start the frame and scored on an
error at short on Jaimie Moon's grounder. Moon then
stole second, went to third on a passed ball, and scored on
Caroline DeVincenzi's sacrifice fly to left.
The Bruins rallied in the last of the 6th as Serena Lee led off
with a double and scored on Shelby Klein's two-out
double. Shelby Briske followed with a
two-run blast to center, her sixth of the season, for a 3-2
lead. In the L&C 7th, Moon led off with a single and
reached third on two ground outs, but Jessica Mullins bounced out
to third to end the game.
Lee went the distance for the Bruins to notch the win,
scattering nine hits. McFeeley allowed five hits in the loss,
striking out three and walking one. Klein had two hits for
the Bruins, while Moon had three hits and Jessica Mullins two for
the Pios.
George Fox jumped to a big early lead in the nightcap and had to
hold off a late comeback attempt by the visitors. The Bruins
got going in the 1st when Serena Lee was hit by a pitch and Bethany
Chriss slugged her seventh home run of the season to center.
Taylor Whitmore doubled in two more runs and Erin Lee added an RBI
single to further add to a five-run inning.
Chriss doubled and came in on a passed ball in the 2nd, and the
Bruins added three unearned runs in the 3rd. Amy Peterson
scored the first run on a throwing error by the pitcher, and Chriss
and Klein added RBI doubles later in the inning. Serena
Lee's bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 4th scored Becka
Doyle with the Bruins' final run.
Lewis & Clark got its first run in the 3rd on doubles by
Kristen Breninger and Moon, and two more in the 4th on RBI singles
by Sara Standish and Jet'aime Mullins. In the 6th,
Michaela Satter and McFeeley singled, and Satter scored on an error
at second, cutting the deficit to 10-4. Moon walked to load
the bases, bringing on Erin Lee in relief of Bruin starter Whitmore
(4-15).
Lee surrendered a two-run single to DeVincenzi and Jessica
Mullins reached on an error at third to again fill the sacks, but
Lee got Danielle Blechert to ground out to short. She then
retired the side in order in the 7th for her first save.
Whitmore worked 5.1 innings for the win, spacing seven hits with
two strikeouts and three walks. Breninger (1-10) suffered the
setback for the Pios, allowing 12 hit and 10 runs, six earned, in
4.0 innings.
Chriss and Klein each went 3-for-4 for the Bruins, Chriss
scoring three times and driving in three with two doubles and a
home run, despite having five stitches in her leg from an emergency
room visit after being spiked on a steal attempt in
Saturday's first game at Lewis & Clark. Briske and
Whitmore had two hits apiece in the Bruins' 14-hit attack.
Erin Lee, the Bruins' only senior playing her final games
for George Fox, was honored before the first game of the
doubleheader for her fine four-year career.
George Fox ends its season 13-27 overall and 7-21 in the
conference, finishing seventh. The Bruins won eight more
games in head coach Jessica Hollen's second season than they
did in her first year with the program, when they were 5-32.
Lewis & Clark concludes its season 3-36 overall and 0-28 in
league play, finishing eighth.
