By Jacob Hayes

NEWBERG, Ore. --- With strong pitching and timely bats, the George Fox Bruins swept their Saturday doubleheader against the Pacific (Ore.) Boxers by finals of 7-3 and 6-3.

How It Happened

The Bruin bats were alive and active right from the start.  The top of the order was on fire, scoring five runs in the first two innings of game one.  Olivia Nelson and Savannah Vargas both clobbered doubles in the bottom of the first to start the opening rally.  Kamryn Potter got in on the action in the bottom of the second with an RBI double of her own.  Nelson started another two run-rally in the fourth capped by a Katie Ladd RBI single.  That was all the Bruins needed, backed up by a solid outing from pitcher Ashley Davis.  Her two earned runs over six innings gave her the win while Caitlyn Rhoades pitched a scoreless seventh to seal the deal.

Game two started off slow for the Bruins with only one base runner through the first three innings, but the bats came back in the bottom of the fourth.  Potter led off the inning with a solo shot over the center field wall to get the Bruins on the board.  Vargas and Claire Fountain hit back-to-back doubles right after, tying the game at two and in the process knocking out the Boxer's starter.  Potter came back to the plate in the bottom of the fifth and hit another homer over the right field fence.  The party had just started, however, as Vargas went yard in the next plate appearance, tying the George Fox Softball record for most career home runs at 32.  Their huge hits sparked a four-run rally to put the Bruins up 6-2.  Sarah Storton kept the Boxers at bay, pitching a complete game with only two earned runs for the win.

Top Performers

Starters Davis and Storton pitched a combined 13 innings, allowing only four earned runs between them. Potter led the Bruins at the plate, going 3-4 with four runs and four RBIs.  Vargas was stellar as well, finishing 4-8 with three runs and three RBIs.  

What it Means

George Fox improves to 5-1 in conference play and 9-5 overall, while Pacific falls to 0-6 in conference and is now 5-11 overall.

What Happens Next

The Bruins will attempt to complete the season sweep against the Boxers in their doubleheader match-up on March 28.  The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 11:00 am at the Morse Athletic Fields.