SPOKANE, Wash. --- The George Fox softball team opened up the Northwest Conference Tournament against the Wildcats of Linfield College on Friday afternoon, as the Bruins fell, 9-0.

Recap:
After two scoreless innings, the Wildcats were the first to draw blood, as they bagged three runs in the top of the third. With one out on the board, the 'Cats did well to hit a pair of singles to put runners on first and second. Abbie Bergerson struck out the next batter for the second out of the inning, but a double by Cheyenne Fletcher scored both runs for the 2-0 advantage. A single by the next batter scored Fletcher, giving the 'Cats a 3-0 edge. Madison Sorensen was then entered into the game to replace Bergerson, and got out of the jam with a strikeout.

The 'Cats brought in another run in the top of fourth after a two-out single made its way through the gap, 4-0.

After a scoreless fifth inning, the 'Cats were able to add five more runs in the top of the sixth. After three straight singles and a sac-fly to right field that scored the first run, an error by the Bruins scored another run to take a 6-0 lead. Alyssa Harris came in to close out the sixth, but Wildcat' Erin Tauscher jumped on a fastball down the middle to homer to centerfield, 9-0.

The Bruins weren't able to get on the board in the bottom half of the sixth and the game was concluded due to the mercy rule.

Top Performers:
The Bruins recorded just two hits on the day, as both Kimi Ito and Kat Hylton were the only two to get a hit. Sorensen pitched 3.0 innings for the Bruins and recorded four strikeouts on the day.

What It Means:
The Bruins are now placed in the loser bracket and will need to win in order to advance to tomorrow's game.

What Comes Next:
The Bruins hopes are still alive as they play the Boxers of Pacific at 2:00 p.m. to try to get out of the loser bracket. If they win, they will play the winner of the Whitworth/Linfield matchup on Saturday, April 23 at 9:00 a.m.