By Joshua Nutter

TUCSON, Ariz. --- The George Fox softball team kicked off the 2020 NFCA Leadoff Classic with a pair of games in Tuscon on Friday. The Bruins went 1-1 on the day, knocking off Piedmont College, 8-1, before falling to St. Thomas, 9-6.

Given the tournament's size and neutral location, box scores and full writeups will be provided upon availability. 

Game One: George Fox 8, Piedmont 1

The Bruins cruised to an 8-1 win over PC in the early contest, scoring multiple runs in three separate innings for a solid victory over the Lions. 

The Bruins got on the board first in the third inning when Allison Meyer knocked a solo shot over the fences to put the Bruins ahead 1-0 with her second homer of the season. The Bruins weren't done in the third, however. Two batters later, Roni Braun came to the plate and did what she does best, blasting a two-run homer to put GFU ahead 3-0. 

Braun got things going again in the fourth, using a fielder's choice to reach and score Savannah Vargas as the Bruins extended their lead to 4-0. Claire Fountain followed with a single to score Braun and give the Bruins a 5-0 lead after four innings. 

The Bruins added an insurance run in the sixth when a Mikaelie Sullivan double plated Braun.

Game Two: St. Thomas 9, George Fox 6

Fox had another strong offensive performance in their second game of the day against St. Thomas, but six runs weren't enough to hold off the Tommies in a 9-6 heartbreaker. 

The Tommies hopped out in front with two runs in the top of the third to go up 2-0. The Bruins responded, scoring two of their own with a Claire Fountain solo home run and a run scored by Sullivan after a St. Thomas error. 

Fox took the lead in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs to jump ahead 5-2. Vargas homered and scored Kimberly Pulido before Meyer came home on a sacrifice fly by Fountain. 

St. Thomas scored four unanswered runs in the next two innings to take a 6-5 lead entering the bottom of the sixth. Fountain evened things up by scoring Emma Classen with a double in the bottom of the frame to make it 6-6 after six. 

The Tommies pulled away, scoring three runs in the top of the seventh to take a 9-6 lead. GFU was unable to rally back in the bottom of the frame and fell by the final margin of 9-6. 

Top Performers

Meyer led the Bruins offensive efforts, going 4-for-6 at the plate with a perfect 3-for-3 performance in game one. The senior tallied two runs scored, an RBI, and a walk. Braun went 2-for-4 with a home run, four runs batted in, and three runs scored in game one. Both Meyer and Braun were responsible for Bruin homers. Davis was excellent in five innings of action for the day with her impressive 11 strikeouts and no walks from the circle to earn her fifth straight win. 

What It Means

The Bruins move to 9-3 on the season—a vast improvement on the teams' 4-6 record heading into the 2019 Leadoff Classic.

Hollen's Take

"We knew we would be challenged, we battled in the second game, and it was a tough loss, but we're looking forward to tomorrow's games."

What Happens Next

The Bruins return to Lincoln Park tomorrow, Mar. 7 to face Emerson and Transylvania at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., respectively.