NEWBERG, Ore. -- After coming off a solid road trip, the George Fox softball team looked to gain some momentum heading into NWC play; however, they were unable to emerge victorious after two battles with a solid Pomona-Pitzer team, falling 5-1 in the first game and 6-4 in extra innings in game two. 

How It Happened - Game 1
Both teams were silent in the first, with the game heading into the second inning in a 0-0 tie. In the top of the second, The Sagehens' Natalie Murguia singled with one out in the inning, and was brought in two batters later when Lauren Ziment cleared the fence. Though a double extended the inning, the Bruins were able to fend off any more runs, leaving them at a 2-0 deficit.

The Bruins responded with their lone run in the bottom of the third, when Sydney Sandifer sent a ball over the wall to cut the Pitzer lead in half with a solo home run. 

Pomona responded with a run of their own in the top of the fourth after Murguia singled again, and then scored after being bunted to second and waved home on a single. Pitzer tacked on two more after a home run later in the game by Kylie Liu drove in Bella Carreon to round out their scoring. Though the Bruin defense prevented any more runs, the Fox offense had their lowest output of the year in the 1-5 loss.

How It Happened - Game 2
Looking to bounce back in game two, the Bruins fell behind early after Pomona-Pitzer put up a three-spot in the top of the first. Devin Waddell walked to start the game, and advanced to second a couple pitches later on a wild pitch. Kylie Liu brought her home on a double to kick off the scoring, and Liu scored shortly after when Ziment hit another two-run homer to extend the lead to 3-0.

The Bruins got on the board in the bottom of the second after Aliya Harmon singled to center and advanced to second on a walk to Sami Stadtlander. Harmon then scored on a single by Nicole Campa, and though the Bruins loaded the bases shortly after, were only able to put one run on the board. 

The score remained 3-1 until the top of the sixth, when Groves singled to left field, and an error by the left fielder allowed Ziment to score and extend the Pitzer lead to three. 

In the bottom of the seventh, the Bruins staged a comeback that tied the game and sent the competition into extra innings. Kamryn Potter started the inning with a single, followed by another single by Tinley Taylor. A wild pitch advanced both runners, and a Sydney Sandifer double a few pitches later scored Potter from second and put the tying run in scoring position for Sharon Tomei. Tomei delivered in a big way for the Bruins, singling to left to score both runners and tie the game at four apiece. Subsequent batters grounded into a double play and popped out, but the Bruins had sent it to extras. 

After several scoreless innings, Pomona took the lead in the top of the 10th after two late runs on an RBI groundout and RBI triple to put Fox behind by two. The Bruins were unable to respond, resulting in a final score of 6-4 in favor of Pomona-Pitzer.

Top Performers
Sydney Sandifer and Sharon Tomei each recorded three hits on the day along with two RBI's, one of which was Sandifer's bomb in game one. Sandifer also had a crucial double for the Bruins, while Tomei had an instrumental single in the Bruins game two comeback.  

What Happens Next
The Bruins hit the field next on Saturday at home against Oneonta, with the first game scheduled to start at noon.