NEWBERG, Ore. – In their first two games of the 2024 season, George Fox softball beat the Warner Pacific Knights twice, 8-2 and 15-6. 

Game One
In the first game of the day, Bruins starter Emma Eastman used three flyouts in the top half of the first to start with a clean slate, and the offense got to work right away with a Kamryn Potter home run in the first to go up, 1-0. 

Up a run, Eastman and the Knights pitcher – Briana Munoz – settled into a pitcher's duel for the next three innings. Throughout those few innings, Eastman gave up just two hits and one run, with the one run coming in the fourth inning of a double. The score by the Knights in the fourth sparked a Bruins' response; the Bruins scored off back-to-back doubles from Aliya Harmon and Sami Stadlander, taking back the lead, 2-1. Then Stadlander was brought after a sacrifice fly brought her to third, and a sacrifice ground-out brought her home. 

The Knights were unable to score in the fifth, and the Bruins took the opportunity to add to their lead with a massive five-run bottom half. Sydney Sandifer got things started with a home run to center field. Sharon Tomei then smacked a single to center, followed by Potter hitting a double to move Tomei to third. With runners on second and third, Stadlander hit another double, driving in two runs. Outfielder Tinley Taylor hit a double and moved Stadlander to third. Anyrie Brown added another Bruins extra-base hit, driving in a run with a double. Kiley Harris hit a sacrifice fly to bring the lead up to 8-1 before the inning would come to a close. 

The Knights were only able to score one more run, as Eastman closed out the contest to pick her – and GFU's – first win of the season, 8-2. 

Game Two
The Bruins kept the offense rolling in the second game of the doubleheader, which was shortened to five innings. Freshman Makayla Noone started the game with an infield single and scored after a walk and a throwing error that brought Stadlander to third. Tomei brought Stadlander home with a sacrifice groundout, putting Fox up, 2-0, at the end of the inning. 

The Knights were able to get to GFU starter Elise Wilkinson, as they scored three runs after a pair of walks were followed by a timely double. Warner Pacific scored a third run in the second with a sacrifice groundout. The Bruins quickly retook the lead though, scoring two runs on a Potter single with runners on second and third. At the end of the second inning, the Bruins were up, 4-3. 

Tomei hit her first home run of the season, a long ball out to center field, to get the first run of a six-run third inning. Two batters later Fox had runners on second and third, when Taylor drove two runs in after hitting a single, expanding the Bruins' lead to 7-3. With runners on second and third, Noone drove them both in with a sharp single to center. After the Noone RBIs, the Bruins left the third inning up, 10-3.

The Bruins would score another five runs in the bottom half of the fourth, as they loaded the bases with no outs, Noone hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored one. Potter then reached first after a fielding error that scored another run for Fox, growing the lead to 12-3. Sandifer then hit her second home run of the day with a three-run jack off the scoreboard. The Bruins left the fourth inning up, 15-3. The Knights would get three runs in the top of the fifth, before the game was called, with Fox picking up their second win of the day, 15-6.

Top Performers
Sydney Sandifer started her season with two homers, going 3-8 with four RBIs on the day. Makayla Noone had four hits over her first two games, including a three-hit second game that included three RBIs. Emma Eastman and Elise Wilkinson both picked up wins in their first starts of the year. 

Coach's Thoughts
"It's always nice when you can start the year with a couple of wins," said head coach Jessica Hollen, "We had a lot of new faces in big roles, it was fun to see them compete.  Our returners played well, and we hope to build on these games as we head to Texas."

What It Means
The Bruins start non-conference play with two wins and are now 2-0. Warner Pacific is now 0-4. 

What Comes Next
The Bruins hit the road next weekend, playing six games in Georgetown, Texas, starting on March 1, with a doubleheader against Southwestern University. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 pm.