NEWBERG, Ore. – Bouncing back from an 11-0 five-inning wipeout in the first game, the George Fox University Bruins took 8th-ranked Linfield College down to the final out in the second game before the visiting Wildcats rallied for a 9-8 win and a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader sweep Saturday afternoon here at Morse Field.

George Fox slipped to 15-19 overall and 12-10 in the conference.  Linfield improved to 26-5 overall and 18-2 in the NWC with its ninth straight win and 17th in the last 18 games.

Game 1 – Linfield 11, George Fox 0

Right-hander Karina Paavola (14-2) and southpaw Montana McNealy combined on a one-hitter and the Wildcats scored nine runs in the first two innings off Bruin lefty Rachel Fielder (4-6) to win the first game handily.

Paavola threw three perfect innings to start the game, striking out five of the nine batters she faced.  Montana worked a 1-2-3 4th before giving up the Bruins' only hit, a clean lead-off single through the hole at short by Bethany Chriss.

The Wildcats pounced for four runs in the 1st.  Megan Wallo singled, Karleigh Prestianni doubled her to third, and Lisa Yamamoto singled for one run.  Ashley Garcia doubled in two, then scored on Erin Carson's double.

Five more runs on five hits and two George Fox errors in the 2nd effectively put the game away.  One run scored on an error at short, Prestianni doubled in two more, Garcia's second double scored another, and Haylie Watson capped the inning with an RBI single.  Linfield added single runs in the 3rd and 4th to close out the scoring, both runs unearned off reliever Allyssa DenDekker.

The Wildcats collected 12 hits in the game, with Wallo, Prestianni, Garcia and Carson getting two each. Half of Linfield's hits were doubles.

Game 2 – Linfield 9, George Fox 8

In the second game, the Wildcats were down to their final out in the top of 7th and trailing by two runs when Garcia doubled to the fence in left to drive in two runs to tie the game, then scored the go-ahead run on a single to right by Carson.

The game was a back-and-forth affair with seven lead changes.  Linfield took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st when Grace Middelstadt singled and went all the way to third on an error in center, then scored on a wild pitch.  The Bruins answered in the home half with two runs as Kat Hylton singled and came around on two ground outs and a double by Chriss, who scored on a single by Amanda Woods.

Linfield regained the lead in the 4th on a single by Prestianni and Yamamoto's eighth home run, a line drive to right.  George Fox went up 4-3 with a pair in the 5th.  Nicole Renteria lined a single off the shin of charging first baseman Watson, was wild-pitched to second, and scored the tying run on Kayla Anderson's single up the middle.  After a wild pitch, Jenna Kirk doubled to the wall in right to drive in Anderson with the go-ahead run.

The Wildcats surged ahead 6-4 with three in the 6th.  Wallo was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Prestianni slugged her fifth home run to center to give Linfield the lead.  Garcia and Carson singled, Watson was hit by a pitch, and an error at short on Katy Brosig's grounder got an additional run home.

In the bottom of the 6th, Felicia Chavez led off with a bunt single and Hylton reached on an error at third.  One out later, Anderson lofted her sixth home run of the year to straightaway center to give the Bruins a 7-6 lead.  They added an insurance run as Chriss got all the way to second on a throwing error at short, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored when Fielder struck out but reached first on a passed ball.

The Wildcats opened the 7th with singles by Middelstadt and Wallo, but Prestianni lined out and Yamamoto flied to center around a passed ball that moved both runners up.  Garcia rescued the 'Cats with her double to left, and Carson's single gave the visitors the lead.

In the Bruins' 7th, Hylton singled to center with one out and Renteria bunted for a hit, but Paavola (15-2), who had come on in the 5th and gave up Anderson's go-ahead home run in the 6th, retired Anderson on a pop to short and fanned Chriss to preserve the win.  DenDeker (5-5), who had relieved George Fox starter Erin Hento in the 6th, suffered the hard-luck loss.

George Fox out-hit Linfield 12-10, with Hylton and Renteria getting three hits each.  Anderson had two hits and drove in four runs.  Middelstadt, Prestianni, Garcia and Carson had two hits each for the Wildcats.

The Bruins and Wildcats will conclude their four-game series Sunday in Newberg with a doubleheader at 12:00 noon.  As those will be the final home games of the season for George Fox, the Bruins' four graduating seniors - Chriss, Renteria, Kerrianne Davidson and Taylor Whitmore - will be honored in pre-game ceremonies before the first game.