SALEM, Ore. –  Allyssa DenDekker pitched the George Fox University Bruins to their first Northwest Conference softball victory of the season, a 4-1 win over Willamette University in the first game of a doubleheader, but the Bearcats built a seven-run cushion and hung on to win the second game 9-8 Sunday afternoon here at the WU softball field.

Game 1 – George Fox 4, Willamette 1

In the first game, DenDekker (2-0) went the distance, her second strong outing against Willamette, and got the win when the Bruins broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the top of the sixth.

George Fox scored in the opening frame as Kayla Anderson singled to center field with two away, Kerrianne Davidson singled through the right side, and Jenna Kirk placed a single into right-center to drive in Anderson.  The Bearcats tied it in the bottom of the fifth, Jenna King singling to shortstop with no outs. McKenzie Wasley sent a bunt single toward third, and went to second on a wild throw while King moved to third.  King was thrown out when Allie Martin hit into a fielder's choice, but Ashley Pender provided an RBI single to score Wasley.

The Bruins broke the tie by scoring three runs in the sixth, aided by a Courtney Howard single and five walks.  Kat Hylton, Amanda Woods, and Anderson all picked up RBIs the easy way by drawing bases-loaded bases on balls.

Willamette almost tied the game in the seventh. With one out, Pender walked and Kelli Snyder doubled. One out later, Erin Norris smacked a fly ball near the deepest part of the park, but center fielder Felicia Chavez caught the ball at the fence.

Anderson led a nine-hit Bruin attack with a 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI, while Howard finished 3-for-4 and scored a run. Seven players each registered one hit for Willamette.

DenDekker gave up seven hits, five walks, and one run. Victoria Bradshaw (1-2) pitched into the sixth for Willamette and then re-entered later in the stanza. She finished with six strikeouts and four walks.

Game 2 – Willamette 9, George Fox 8

In the nightcap, the Bearcats used a six-run third inning, all of them unearned, to built an 8-1 lead, but had to hold on for dear life as the Bruins rallied and put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position in the seventh before the home team could secure the victory.

The Bearcats built a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a single by Pender, a double by Snyder, an RBI single by Courtney Galli, and a double steal attempt in which Snyder scored when Galli was thrown out.  In the third, a bunt by Wasley led to a two-base throwing error by pitcher Taylor Whitmore (0-2). After a sacrifice bunt by Martin, Pender connected for a sacrifice fly, scoring Wasley. The inning also included a two-run double by Norris and a two-run single by Hope Kloczko.

The Bruins countered with three runs on three hits in the top of the fourth. Amanda Woods contributed an RBI single and Kirk blasted a two-run homer, her second of the season.  Willamette added a run by Yvonne Drabin in the fifth inning for a 9-4 lead, scoring when Martin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.  In the sixth, three consecutive hits, including a two-run double by Woods, enabled the Bruins to score twice, cutting their deficit to 9-6.

In the seventh, Hylton scored with one out when Anderson was issued a bases-loaded walk.  Hayley Glantz (2-2), who had thrown 116 pitches, was relieved by Bradshaw. After Woods drove in another run with a groundout to second, Bradshaw earned her first save as she caused Kirk to fly out to right field to end the game with runners at second and third.

Glantz got the win despite allowing 13 hits and eight earned runs, striking out three and walking two.  Whitmore gave up six hits and eight runs, only two earned, with a strikeout in 2.2 innings.

For George Fox, Woods was 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs, Chavez finished 3-for-4 and scored once, and Hylton was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.  Snyder was 2-for-4 with a run scored for Willamette, and Drabin went 2-for-3 and tallied two runs. 

NEXT: George Fox (4-6, NWC 1-3) plays its home opener next weekend in conference games against the University of Puget Sound, hosting the Loggers for twinbills Saturday and Sunday at 12:00 noon ... Willamette (3-5, NWC 3-1) will host Lewis & Clark College for NWC doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday, also at 12:00 noon.