McMINNVILLE, Ore. --  The George Fox softball team handed Linfield their first conference loss and third loss of the season on Tuesday, taking down the seventh-ranked Wildcats, 6-1, in the second game of a split doubleheader.

Game One
The Wildcats pulled ahead, 1-0, in the bottom of the first inning after Kaili Saathoff doubled to right field, allowing one to score. The Bruin batters faced off against undefeated and top pitcher for the Wildcats, Tayah Kelley. Kelley was able to strike out the first six batters she faced, until Claire Fountain and Kimberly Pulido were able to draw walks in the third. The Bruins could not score, though, ending the inning with one left on base for the Bruins. 

Linfields lead grew to 2-0 after Claire Seats doubled to center field, bringing in Saathoff, who got to first base off a bunt. The Bruins drew the game to a tie when Emma Classen singled to left center field and brought in Sydney Sandifer and Sharon Tomei. 

It would be the fifth inning that Linfield would deliver the final blow, with a double to center field that brought in one runner. After a pitching change, Emma Eastman would allow two more runs before closing the inning. Fox was unable to get another run in for the rest of the game, falling, 5-2. 

Game Two
Similar to the first game, the Bruins would trail, 1-0, at the end of the first inning. Brooke Riggins would get on base in the second inning after getting hit by a pitch, before Kimberly Pulido brought her home with an RBI double, to tie the game, 1-1.

In the third inning, the Bruins jumped out to a 4-1 lead thanks to four hits in the inning. After itching base with a hit, Sharon Tomei came around to score off of a Reagan Medina RBI single. Jailynn Lozano, who came in to pinch run for Medina, advanced on an Emma Classen single and scored off of an RBI single from Aliya Harmon. Fox grabbed one more run, with Emma Classen scoring on a grounder from Claire Fountain to extend the Bruins' lead to three.

Fox grew their lead in the sixth inning, following three hits and two hit-by-pitches. Mikaelie Sullivan had an RBI single score Aliya Harmon, and later Kimberly Potter followed with an RBI single of her own, leaving the inning leading, 6-1. Davis would continue to hold off the Wildcats, not allowing another run through the rest of the game, closing out the final inning with one pop-out, one strikeout, and a flyout, securing the win for the Bruins, 6-1. 

Top Performances
The Bruins had six players with an RBI in their win, including Emma Classen, who had three hits and two RBIs on the day. Ashley Davis pitched all seven innings in the win and only allowed six hits and four strikeouts.

Coach's Thoughts
"Linfield is a tough team, we played hard and neither team gave in," Bruin head coach Jess Hollen said, "It's always fun to compete."

What It Means
Fox moves to 14-10 (7-5 NWC) on the year, while the Wildcats improve to 19-3 (9-1 NWC).

What Comes Next
The Bruins will again travel just down the road to Portland to play Lewis & Clark on Saturday in a doubleheader. The games are set to start at 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM.