REDLANDS, Calif. – The George Fox softball team opened its 2020 campaign on the road with a split doubleheader against the Redlands Bulldogs on Thursday, Feb. 20. The Bruins fell 6-4 in game one and then bounced back with a 14-0 win in game two in five innings.

Recap

Game One

The Bruins put Ashley Davis in the circle to start game one and got two and two thirds of an inning out of the sophomore right-hander. Davis allowed five runs – four earned – on seven hits in her shortened outing. Caitlyn Rhoades finished the last three and a third for the Bruins with an earned run allowed on five hits.

The Bruins grabbed the lead in the top of the first after Roni Braun got aboard with a walk and made her way to third with a stolen base and a defensive error. Braun scored on a sacrifice fly from Aaliyah Kautz into center field. The Bulldogs answered back to tie the game at 1-1 with an unearned run in the bottom half of the frame.

Savannah Vargas led off the second with a walk and took third after another Bulldog error paved the way before a sac fly into center from Mikaelie Sullivan plated her for the 2-1 lead. Redlands answered with four runs in the third to take the lead for good and chase Davis from the circle.

The Bruins were able to get two of the runs back in the fifth. Back to back singles from Kamryn Potter and Sullivan put two aboard for Kautz, and an error from Redlands and another single by Allison Meyer plated Potter and Sullivan for the 6-4 score. No other runs were scored after that, however, and the Bulldogs hung on to win the opener.

Game Two

Sarah Storton worked game two for the Bruins and pitched a five-inning gem, earning a win in a complete-game shutout effort with only three hits and a walk allowed to the Bulldogs.

The Bruins jumped on the board early with four runs in the top of the first. A Claire Fountain single pushed Potter home for what was the winning run, and moments later Kautz blasted a three-run shot out over the wall in left field to score Fountain and Braun.

In the second, Fountain hit a two-RBI double with Braun and Sullivan on base and plated both for the 6-0 lead.

The Bruins erupted for four more runs in the fourth. Potter homered and Vargas, Meyer, and Allisa Yabumoto each hit RBI doubles in the frame for a 10-0 lead.

The George Fox batters tacked on four insurance runs in the fifth to ice the game. An RBI walk from Emma Classen pushed Katie Ladd in from third base, and another Yabumoto double scored Jennifer McCue and Olivia Nelson. A fielder's choice plated Classen for the 14-0 final score, and the defense held once more to complete a shutout victory.

Top Performers

Braun reached base twice and scored a run in game one, while Sullivan went one for two with a run scored and an RBI. In game two, Storton only faced two batters above the minimum, while Fountain was perfect at the plate in three trips with three RBI and two runs scored.

What It Means

The Bruins are 1-1 to start their season after their bats caught fire in game two.

What Happens Next

George Fox will face the Whittier Poets on Saturday, Feb. 22, to close its four-game Southern California trip.