By Joshua Nutter

TUCSON, Ariz. --- The George Fox softball team split a pair of non-league games on Saturday as they continued NFCA Leadoff Classic action. The Bruins crushed Emerson in game one by a score of 19-1 before falling 4-2 to Transylvania in their second contest of the day.

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

Game One

In the first contest, Lion was on the breakfast menu as the Bruins blasted their way to a 19-1 win. 

The blue and gold bats jumped on Emerson starter Neely Eddleston in the first inning, taking a 3-0 lead on a three-run dinger by Savannah Vargas. 

The Bruins kept it up in the second, getting six more runs across the plate. Mikaelie Sullivan hit a two-run double to put the Bruins up 5-0. Four batters later, GFU blew the game wide open when Aaliyah Kautz smoked a grand slam past the fences to put the Bruins up by a prohibitive 9-0. 

The Lions got their lone run in the bottom of the frame, making it 9-1 before Kautz hit a two-run double in the third. 

Vargas scored Kamryn Potter to start things off in the fourth. Alyssa Yabumoto then got a two-run double to extend the lead to 14-1. The Bruins weren't done in the fourth though, as Jennifer McCue hit her first collegiate homer to score Yabumoto and make it a 16-1 lead. 

Fox added three more in the fifth with a two-run double from Vargas followed by a Courtney Hunt double. The mercy-rule kicked in after the fifth inning to seal a final score of 19-1. 

Brittany Dean earned the win for the Bruins in the circle on four innings of work in relief of Ashley Davis. 

Game Two

The Bruins came up short in their second matchup of the day, falling 4-2 to Transylvania. 

Potter hit a leadoff home run to give the Bruins the early 1-0 advantage. 

The Pioneers used a three-run third inning to take the lead for good, starting with a solo homer and advancing two more baserunners to take a 3-1 lead. 

The Bruins got one back in the fifth when a single by Claire Fountain scored Emma Classen to narrow the deficit at 3-2.

Transy scored again in the final inning to reach the final margin of 4-2. 

Bruins starter Sarah Storton took the loss, tossing seven innings and allowing four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts.

Top Performers

The Bruins bats were explosive in the first contest of the day. Vargas was 4-for-4 in the opener with six runs batted in and a home run with five runs scored and a walk. Kautz was 3-for-4 with six runs batted in game one as well, and her grand slam put the game out of reach for the Bruins. McCue and Potter added home runs of their own, totaling four Bruins bombs on the day.

What It Means

The Bruins are 10-4 on the season now and 2-2 in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. GFU's bats have been prolific to get the season started, with a combined 24 home runs from nine different hitters. The Bruins have also hit 57 extra-base hits so far this season and a team batting average of .330 thus far. 

Hollen's Take

"We had three pitchers all throw well today and we were able to get it going offensively in game one, and had a tough loss game two. [We're] excited to come out and compete again tomorrow."

What Happens Next

The Bruins return to Lincoln Park tomorrow, Mar. 8, for the third and final day of the NCAA DIII Leadoff Classic. The Bruins face Alma at 9:00 a.m. before closing out the weekend against LeTourneau at 11:00 a.m.