By Jacob Hayes

Newberg, Ore. ---  The George Fox Bruins completed the weekend sweep of the Whitworth Pirates with Sunday finals of 8-2 and 17-8 (5 innings).

How it Happened

After clobbering eight homers in Saturday's doubleheader, the Bruin power hitting was red hot and could not be cooled down.  In the bottom of the first, Claire Fountain started the scoring by sending a big fly over the left field fence, taking the lead 3-0.  Kamryn Potter added a run with a two-out RBI double in the second, but was standed to end the inning.  This brought up Fountain to lead off the top of the third and she immediately lasered a shot to straightaway center for another home run.  Emma Classen tacked on another run later in the inning with a two-out RBI single, making the score 6-2.  Fountain was yet to be done at the plate as she came back up in the fourth with a runner on first.  She launched a moonshot down the left field line, clearing the fence for her third homer of the day.  Davis pitched the complete game, giving up eight hits and only two runs, earning her the win 8-2.

Katie Ladd knocked in the first runs for the Bruins in game two with a two-out, two RBI single to right field.  The Pirates picked up a run in the top of the second, but it was quickly forgotten as George Fox went on to score nine runs in the bottom of the third.  Ladd went yard to deep right center, tallying four RBIs in two plate appearances.  Caitlyn Rhaodes made it back-to-back with a dinger to center.  The Pirates picked up two outs, but loaded the bases for Kamryn Potter.  She stayed patient, waiting for her pitch and ultimately drew a walk to score a run, bringing up Savannah Vargas.  Her at-bat looked bleak at first going down 0-2, but she worked the count to 3-2.  After fouling off pitch after pitch, she finally got what she wanted and crushed it to right-center for a grand slam.  With the bases empty, Fountain stepped into the box and kept the train rolling, smoking another tater to left for her sixth of the weekend.

Though the score was 11-1, the Pirates rallied for six runs in the top of the fourth to get within four, but the Bruins were not done.  Rhoades led off the fourth with a jack for her second of the day.  The rally continued when pinch hitter Victoria Richter knocked in a run, followed by an RBI for Olivia Nelson.  The lead was seven, but the Pirates squeaked out another run in the fifth to bring the game within six.  With two outs in the bottom half of the frame, Rhoades kept the inning alive with a single to left.  Cortney Hunt followed with a single of her own, bringing to the plate Classen.  She took the chance to end it there and kissed the ball goodbye to right center, walking it off by mercy rule, 17-8.  

Top Performers

It was all about the deep fly as the Bruins finished Sunday with nine blasts and 17 total home runs over the weekend.  Fountain went 3-3 with three homers in game one and finished with six on the weekend, breaking the Bruins' single-season records for RBI and home runs in the process.  Rhoades had two solos and Vargas cleaned up the bases with a clutch grand salami in game two.  Classen's walk-off was the first home run of her collegiate career. 

Their Thoughts

"It's so hard to sweep teams, so this is a great series of wins for us," Coach Jessica Hollen said afterward. "There are still some things we can work on, and we'll need to be locked in this week against Linfield."

What it Means

George Fox extends their win streak to nine and improves to 21-3 in conference play and 25-7 overall.  Whitworth's slide continues to six straight, now 7-11 in conference play and 9-21 overall.

What Happens Next

The Bruins are back at the Morse Athletic Fields on Friday, April 30 for a doubleheader against the Linfield Wildcats.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm