NEWBERG, Ore. – Scoring eight unearned
runs in the opener and pulling out an extra-inning win in the
nightcap, the Pacific University Boxers pulled off a Northwest
Conference softball sweep of the never-say-die George Fox
University Bruins, 8-4 and 6-5 in eight innings, Sunday afternoon
here at Morse Field.
Erin Hento (4-2) went the distance in the first game for the
Bruins, allowing 12 hits and eight runs, but all the runs were
tainted due to a defense that made four errors. She fanned
two and walked three. Rylee Parke (6-0) picked up the win for
the Boxers, spacing six hits while fanning eight and walking
two.
Pacific jumped on top in the second on a sacrifice fly by Jenna
Stevens and a two-run double by Becca Moen. The Bruins got
one back in the third on a solo homer to left by Shelby Briske, her
first of the year.
The Boxers extended their lead with four in the four, the first
run coming in on a Bruin miscue, the second on a force out, and the
final two on a home run by Parke to center, her first. They
added a final tally in the fifth as Stephanie Vanoudenhaegen scored
while the Bruins were turning a double play.
George Fox tried to rally in the seventh as Bethany Chriss
singled, Becka Doyle walked, and Kayla Ward
slugged a three-run home run to left with no one out, but Parke
finished with two strikeouts in the last three batters to seal the
win.
Vanoudenhaegen and Jordan Mittelsdorf had four hits apiece for
the Boxers, with Vanoudenhaegen scoring three times. Ward had
three RBIs for the Bruins.
The Bruins battled back to tie the second game twice and force
extra innings before the Boxers prevailed. Pacific took a 3-0
lead in the first on an RBI double by Moen, a run-scoring single by
Chelsey Chamberlain, and a ground out that produced a run by Lauren
Tuey, but the Bruins quickly tied it in the home half on a
three-run double by Kerrianne Davidson that scored Chriss, Ward,
and Doyle. The Boxers regained the lead in the second on a
two-run double by Chamberlain, only to have Davidson strike again
in the third with a two-run single that scored Kris Trindle and
Chriss to knot the game 5-5.
The teams matched zeroes after that until the top of the eighth
when Parke, who had come in to pitch in the fifth, helped
herself. Tuey started the winning rally with a single up the
middle, was sacrificed to second by Stevens, and scored on
Parke's two-out single to left-center.
Parke (7-0) got the win with 2.1 innings of no-hit relief,
fanning three with no walks. Shannon Miller, who had started
the game and given up all five George Fox runs, came in for the
last of the eighth and got her first save, stranding the tying run
at third. Hento (4-3), in relief of starter Allyssa
DenDekker, took the loss for the Bruins.
Davidson had half of the Bruins' four hits and drove in
all five runs. Moen had three hits to lead the Boxers'
14-hit attack, with Vanoudenhaegen, Chamberlain, Tuey, and Madison
Collura getting two each.
NEXT: George Fox (5-9, NWC 0-4) will go to the
University of Puget Sound Friday for a makeup doubleheader of games
that were snowed out on Feb. 27. First pitch is set for 1:00
p.m. ... Pacific (10-3, NWC 6-2) is at Puget Sound Saturday for a
12:00 noon twinbill.
