PARKLAND, Wash. – Erin Hento tossed a complete-game seven-hitter and the George Fox University offense backed her with 14 hits, giving the Bruins an 8-1 victory over the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes in the first game of a Northwest Conference softball doubleheader Sunday afternoon here at the PLU softball field.

The second game of the twinbill was postponed by rain, and no makeup date has been set yet.  George Fox is not scheduled to play in the Tacoma area again this spring.

Hento (4-0) struck out four and did not walk a batter in her second route-going effort of the season.  The only run she allowed was a lead-off home run in the bottom of the 7th to pinch-hitter Samantha Pryor. 

The Bruins struck for all the runs their pitcher would need with three in the 3rd inning.  Kat Hylton's sacrifice fly to right scored Kelsey Hansen, a Katie Anderson grounder scored Ashley Bunce, and Amanda Woods singled to plate Felicia Chavez.

Baylee Westrick hit a lead-off home run in the 4th, her third of the season, and Chavez singled in Hansen, who had doubled later in the frame.  A three-run 7th completed the Bruins' scoring, Courtney Howard hitting a sacrifice fly on which both Hylton and Anderson scored and Westrick lining out to center to score Woods.

Anderson and Hansen each collected three hits with a double in the game, while Chavez and Woods had two hits apiece.  Lindsey Matsunaga was the only Lute with two hits.

George Fox is now 9-0 on the season, believed to be the best start in Bruin softball history (it is being researched), and is closing in on the record 13-game winning streak of the 1994 team that went 21-8 to set a mark for most wins in a season.  The Bruins face a serious challenge to their hot start in their next action Saturday, hosting the 10-time NWC champion and pre-season favorite Linfield College Wildcats in a doubleheader starting at 12:00 noon. 

Pacific Lutheran (1-5, NWC 0-2) hosts Whitworth University Saturday for a conference twinbill, also starting at noon.