FOREST GROVE, Ore. –
After falling 11-2 in six innings to the Pacific University Boxers
in the first game of a Northwest Conference softball twi-night
twinbill Wednesday here at Sherman/Larkins Stadium, the George Fox
University Bruins lost a 3-2 heartbreaker in the nightcap on an
Ashley Billingsley walk-off home run in the last of the
seventh.
George Fox suffered its ninth straight setback and fell to 9-27
overall and 3-21 in the conference. Pacific, still fighting
for one of four NWC Tournament spots, improved to 22-14 overall and
12-12 in the NWC. The Boxers are fifth, one game behind
Willamette University, which is 13-11 in conference play.
In the opener, the Bruins took a 2-0 lead in the third on a walk
to Becka Doyle, a double by Nicole Renteria, a
wild pitch, and an RBI single by Bethany Chriss.
Pacific began its comeback in the fourth when Lauren Tuey
doubled, moved to third on a sacrifice, and scored on a single by
Billingsley. The Boxers took the lead in the fifth, putting
together three hits and three George Fox errors for four
runs. One run scored on an error, Jordan Mittelsdorf had a
two-run single, and Rylee Parke singled in the last run.
The Boxers scored six in the sixth to end the game by the
'eight-run rule'. Madison Collura singled in one
run, Tuey had a two-run single, Mittelsdorf singled in another, and
Parke hit a two-run double.
Chelsey Chamberlain (7-3) went the distance on the mound to get
the win for the Boxers, spacing five hits with seven strikeouts and
two walks. Allyssa DenDekker (2-12) took the setback for the
Bruins.
Pacific collected 14 hits, led by Collura with three.
Stephanie Vanoudenhaegen, Tuey, Mittelsdorf and Parke had two hits
apiece. Chriss and Felicia Chavez had two hits each for
George Fox.
In contrast to the first game, the second was a pitchers'
duel. Erin Hento (7-13) went all the way for George Fox,
scattering in six hits with four strikeouts and a walk being
touched for the game-winning home run. Parke went six innings
for Pacific, allowing only four hits with five strikeouts and four
walks, but got no decision. Chamberlain (8-3) blew a save by
allowing a game-tying home run in the seventh to Shelby Briske
before getting the victory on Billingsley's blast.
Pacific took a 1-0 lead in the first on a lead-off home run by
Vanoudenhaegen, but George Fox tied it in the third as Taylor
Whitmore, running for Kayla Ward who had singled to start the
inning, came around on a wild pitch and singles by Doyle and Kris
Trindle.
The Boxers regained the lead in the sixth on a single by Collura
and an RBI double by Chamberlain, but the Bruins re-tied it on
Briske's third home run of the season with one out in the
seventh. The tie was short-lived as Billingsley connected
leading off the last of the seventh to win it for the home
team.
NEXT: George Fox ends its season this weekend
with four conference games against Lewis & Clark College.
The two will play a doubleheader at George Fox in Newberg on
Saturday and a pair at L&C in Portland on Sunday, both starting
at 12:00 noon. The Bruins will honor their lone senior,
Briske, in a pre-game ceremony before the final home games Saturday
... Pacific faces a stiff challenge in its fight for the final NWC
playoff berth, hosting league-leading and No. 1-ranked Linfield
College for 12:00 noon doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday.
