NEWBERG, Ore. – Mica Romero fell a single short of the cycle in leading Willamette University over George Fox University 7-3 in the first game of a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader Thursday afternoon here at Morse Field, but the Bruins rallied from behind twice to defeat the visiting Bearcats 4-3 in the second game for a split.

The games were makeups of two that were postponed by rain back on March 12.  The Bruins and Bearcats have a second twinbill scheduled for April 6 in Newberg to make up for rainouts on March 13 as well.

In the first game, Romero got the Bearcats going with a one-out solo home run to center in the first inning.  Nichole Robertson followed with a single, stole second, went to third on a hit by Talissa Huntsman, and scored on Susie Krewer's sacrifice bunt to make it 2-0.

The Bruins responded in the home half with singles by Nicole Renteria and Kris Trindle before Bethany Chriss went the opposite way to right for her third home run of the season, giving the Bruins a 3-2 lead.  However, that was the last they would score against Alex Watilo (9-2), who wound up with a six-hitter while striking out four and walking only one.

Willamette tied it in the second when Courtney Galli reached on an error, moved up on two ground outs, and scored on Sierra Lessel's single up the middle.  The Bearcats went ahead again in the third as Robertson singled, went to third on a double by Huntsman, and scored on Krewer's ground out to third.

The Bearcats added two insurance runs in the fifth, Romero doubling and scoring the first run of the frame, and another in the seventh as Romero tripled and came in on a single by Robertson.

Willamette collected 11 hits off Allyssa DenDekker (1-7), who went the distance for the Bruins with one strikeout and no walks.  Romero was 3-4 with three runs scored and an RBI, Robertson was 4-4 with three runs and an RBI, and Krewer went 0-3 but had three RBIs on a bunt and two ground outs.  Huntsman also had two hits, while Renteria and Trindle had two hits apiece for the Bruins.

In the nightcap, Willamette took a 1-0 lead in the third when Suzannah Von Trapp drew a lead-off walk, stole second, was sacrificed to third, and scored on Romero's sacrifice fly to center.  That slim margin stood up until the George Fox fifth, when Becka Doyle hit a towering home run to center, her first of the year, with one out following a single by Shelby Briske, giving the home team a 2-1 lead.

The Bearcats went back ahead in the top of the sixth.  Krewer reached on a force out, stole second, and scored on Hope Kolczko's two-out single up the middle.  Galli then doubled down the left-field line to drive in Kloczko with the go-ahead run.

The Bruins came right back in the last of the sixth as Watilo (9-3) took over on the mound for Bri Compton, who had scattered four hits in five innings with three strikeouts and a walk.  Trindle singled and Chriss walked to start the inning, and after Trindle was forced at third on Erin Hento's bouncer back to the mound, the relay to first was thrown away, allowing Chriss to reach third.  After Hento stole second, an error at short let Chriss score the tying run and put Hento on third, from where she scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to right by Briske.

Hento (7-7), who went the distance for the Bruins, then nailed down the split by retiring the Bearcats in order in the seventh.  She spaced seven hits in the game, fanning five and walking only one. 

Huntsman and Kloczko were the only two players in the game with multiple hits, each going 2-3. 

NEXT: George Fox (8-16, NWC 2-10) goes to Whitworth University this weekend, with 12:00 noon doubleheaders scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday ... Willamette (9-12, NWC 6-7) hosts Lewis & Clark College Saturday and Sunday for NWC pairs, both also at 12:00 noon.