NEWBERG, Ore. --- The George Fox softball team played its season opener at home with a doubleheader against the Warner Pacific Knights on Saturday, Feb. 20, and split the afternoon with a 7-3 loss and a 9-1 win in six innings.

How It Happened

In game one the Bruins jumped on the board first with a single run in the first and another in the second for an early 2-0 lead. The Knights scored the next four, however, including multiple runs in an inning marred by Bruin errors in the third. The Bruins tacked on one more tally in the fifth but the Knights cruised to a 7-3 win after four Bruin miscues gave them extra chances.

In game two, the Bruins' offense struck first again but their defense held up and the bats stayed hot. After plating the first run of the game in the second frame, the Bruins exploded for four more in the fifth with back-to-back homers from Claire Fountain and Katie Ladd. The Knights put one run on the board in the sixth, but the Bruins walked it off in the bottom of the frame with four more tallies for the 9-1 final.

Top Performers

Caitlyn Rhoades hit .500 and pitched two frames for the Bruins, while Fountain went 2-for-6 with a three-run homer, a double, and a team-high five RBI. Emma Eastman finished game two with two and a third innings and a pair of strikeouts to earn her first collegiate win.

Their Thoughts

"It was great to be back on the field," coach Jessica Hollen said after the doubleheader. "We are a work in progress but we made good adjustments from game one to game two and [we] look forward to playing again!"

What It Means

The Bruins are 1-1 after facing a tough NAIA opponent and coach Hollen is one step closer to winning her 250th as a Bruin skipper.

What Happens Next

Weather permitting, the Bruins will host a doubleheader against Bushnell on Sunday, Feb. 21 at Morse Field in Newberg.