PARKLAND, Wash. – An eight-game winning streak that had propelled George Fox University into first place in the Northwest Conference softball standings came to an end here Saturday as the defending NCAA Division III national champion Pacific Lutheran University Lutes swept the upstart Bruins 7-2 and 9-1 at the PLU softball field.

Game 1 – Pacific Lutheran 7, George Fox 2

The Lutes broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run 4th inning and went on to hand Bruin starter Allyssa DenDekker (5-1) her first loss of the season. 

Bethany Chriss gave the Bruins a quick 1-0 lead as she led off the game with her first home run of the season, but PLU tied it in the 2nd on Kaaren Hatlen's lead-off home run.  The Lutes took the lead in the 3rd as Montessa Califano singled and scored on a double by Glenelle Nitta, only to have the Bruins tie it in the 4th on a double by Kayla Anderson, a wild pitch, and a single by Amanda Woods.

Hatlen and Kelsey Robinson walked and Melissa Harrelson singled in Hatlen to break the tie in the home half of the 4th.  Robinson scored when Haley Harshaw's sacrifice bunt was thrown away for an error, and Spencer Sherwin's bunt single scored Harrelson.  Katie Lowery singled in a PLU run in the 5th and Hatlen drew a bases-loaded walk in the 6th to close out the Lutes' scoring.

DenDekker went the distance, allowing 11 hits and five earned runs with one strikeout and three walks.  Robinson (3-2) surrendered four hits with a walk and no strikeouts in a complete-game winning effort.

Anderson was the only Bruin with two hits.  Califano, Harrelson, Sherwin, and Amanda Hall had two hits apiece for the Lutes.

Game 2 - Pacific Lutheran 9, George Fox 1

The Lutes exploded for six runs in the 1st inning of the nightcap and went on to complete the sweep in a game shortened to 4 1/2 innings due to the 'eight-run mercy' rule.

PLU got its first run in the opening frame on two throwing errors, but Hall hit a two-run home run and Harshaw drilled a three-run shot to cap the rally.  The Lutes added another run in the 2nd as Hatlen's bases-loaded force out scored Califano, and capped their scoring in the 4th on a sacrifice fly by Lowery and a solo home run by Emily Streeter.

The Bruins got their only run in the 3rd.  Kat Hylton walked, Felicia Chavez bunted for a hit, and after a wild pitch, Nicole Renteria delivered Hylton with a sacrifice fly to left.

Erin Hento (3-3) threw all four innings for the Bruins, allowing 10 hits and five earned runs while fanning two and walking one.  Hatlen (3-2) went all the way for the Lutes, spacing four hits with three strikeouts and a walk.

Woods went 2-for-2 for the Bruins.  Califano, Hall, and Streeter had two hits each for the Lutes.

NEXT: George Fox (12-8, NWC 9-5) and Pacific Lutheran (10-6, NWC 7-3) conclude their four-game series Sunday with a doubleheader starting at 12:00 noon.