SPOKANE, Wash. -- After dropping a close 3-4 contest in game one against Whitworth, The George Fox softball team rallied from the walk-off loss to roar past the Pirates in game two, winning 12-4 and earning the team a third seed in the conference.
Game One
Sydney Sandifer made sure that the Bruins carried over their hard-hitting habits from game two of Saturday's doubleheader, hitting a homer on her first at-bat of the day to give Fox a first-inning lead. Fox struggled to keep that momentum, though; after
Mikaelie Sullivan picked up a hit in the second inning, the Bruin bats fell silent. Following Sullivan's single, the Bruins failed to get another runner on base until the seventh inning.
During that time, the Pirates slowly grew their lead, adding a single run in the third, fourth, and fifth innings. Starting pitcher
Ashley Davis and the Bruin defense prevented several other runs from getting in, as the Pirates stranded six runners over the two innings to leave room for a Bruin comeback.
That comeback attempt came in the seventh inning, as the Fox bats finally connected. Sandifer and
Reagan Medina got on base before an out was recorded, with Classen driving home Sandifer to cut the lead to one run. Then, the Bruins pulled out all the stops to tie the game — after being caught in a pickle, pinch runner Madison Loughary reached home on a bobbled throw from the Pirate infielder.
The dramatic comeback would be short-lived, however, as the Pirates quickly put two runners on the corners with no outs. Before Fox recorded an out, Jazz Johnson ended the Bruins' winning hopes with an RBI walk-off single to give Whitworth a 4-3 victory.
Game Two
The Pirates carried the momentum from their game one win into game two, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Bruins stayed steady, though, tying the game in the third on a
Sharon Tomei single and
Emma Classen sac fly. From there, the floodgates opened, as Fox racked up the score — the Bruins took a 6-2 lead by the sixth inning, with Classen, Sandifer, and
Kamryn Potter all driving in runs.
Whitworth looked to close the gap in the sixth, giving a comeback attempt of their own a go. The Pirates inched within two runs headed to the seventh inning, where the Bruins promptly shut the door; Fox scored six runs on five hits, including five runs on a two-out rally to cement the victory. Classen put the finishing touches on the Bruin win with a homer run to make the score 12-4 in favor of the visitors.
Though Johnson tried to keep the magic alive for Whitworth with a single to start the inning, the Bruins recorded three quick outs in the bottom of the seventh to cement the final victory of the regular season.
Top Performances
Sydney Sandifer and
Sharon Tomei led the team with three hits apiece, with both Sandifer and
Emma Classen recording a home run on the afternoon. Five different players recorded two hits in Fox's win, while Classen recorded a staggering seven RBIs on the day.
Kami Gibson earned the win on the circle, while Davis played in both games, picking up a save in the second.
Coach's Thoughts
Soon to come.
What It Means
The Bruins finish their regular season in a tie for second place in the conference, finishing 25-15 (18-10 NWC), while the Pirates fall to 23-17 (15-13 NWC). Both teams will be off to McMinnville for the NWC Tournament, with the Bruins as the third seed and the Pirates in fourth.
What Comes Next
Fox will face Pacific Lutheran (26-14, 18-10 NWC) in the first round of the double-elimination NWC Tournament, hosted by Linfield. The Lutes have the second seed by virtue of a 4-0 tiebreaker over the Bruins. Fox will look to pick up their first win over PLU on Friday. More details, times, and ticket information will be announced soon.
