Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 By: Jake Bienvenue
MCMINNVILLE --- The George Fox softball team played games three and four of its road series against Linfield on Sunday, dropping both, 7-5 and 10-4.
Recap:
Game One:
The Wildcats exploded in the bottom of the first inning, scratching across five runs to take a big lead early on.
George Fox was slow to get on the board, as an additional pair of runs from Linfield put the 'Cats up 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Aaliyah Kautz homered in the top of the fifth to spark the Bruins. They held the Cats scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, and then made their move in the top of the sixth.
Alyssa Gonzalez started it off with a single, and then Roni Braun stepped up to the plate and homered out of left-center field. Allison Meyer followed up with a single and Savannah Vargas hit a two-RBI home run to cut the lead to just two, 7-5.
Unfortunately, the Bruins were unable to complete the comeback in the top of the seventh, dropping a close game one, 7-5.
Game Two:
Braun came out looking to set the tone early, hitting her second home run of the day in the top of the first, 1-0.
Linfield responded in a big way, mirroring its performance in game one with yet another five runs in the bottom of the first.
Down 5-1, George Fox worked to chip into the lead in the top of the third. Kimi Ito got it going with a triple and Braun popped up a sac-fly to send her home, 5-2.
They kept it up in the top of the fourth. Vargas singled to left field and Claire Fountain doubled to center field to put runners on second and third. Kautz batted in Vargas with a single, then Allisa Yabumoto was able to reach on a fielder's choice, allowing Fountain to score and cutting the lead to just one, 5-4.
The Wildcats scratched across five runs in the bottom of the sixth to widen the gap, setting the score at 10-4.
The Bruins had a chance to cut into the lead in the top of the seventh, but with the bases loaded and two outs, they were unable to score as they drop a tough game two, 10-4.
Top Performers:
Game One:
The Bruins had three homers in game one, as Kautz, Braun, and Vargas did the brunt of the damage.
Game Two:
Braun continued her strong play in game two, batting in a pair of runners and hitting yet another homer. Kautz and Yabumoto each batted in runners to contribute to the effort.
What It Means:
The Bruins move to 11-9 overall and 5-6 in conference play.
What Comes Next:
The Bruins face DePauw in a mid-week doubleheader at home on Thursday, March 28th at 12:00 pm and 2:30 pm.
