SALEM, Ore. --  Two impressive pitching performances dominated the Bruins' Saturday doubleheader against Willamette, with George Fox taking the first game 5-0, before dropping the second, 1-5.

How It Happened – Game One
Fox struck early, scoring one run in the first inning on a fielding error to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. From there, the Emma Eastman show began; the senior pitcher allowed just four hits and six baserunners in the entire game. After a 1-2-3 side of the inning, Fox scored three runs in the top of the second to take a commanding 4-0 lead.

The inning began with an Aliya Harmon walk, and snowballed into three runners on base thanks to two additional walks to Kiley Harris and Kamryn Potter. Up stepped Sydney Sandifer, who cleared the bases and totaled her 23rd, 24th, and 25th RBI of the season with a double to put the Bruins up by four. 

With Eastman still dealing and the Bearcats able to respond, Fox coasted through the next three innings, scoring an additional run on a Sharon Tomei solo shot. Willamette's best scoring opportunity came in the sixth, where they put two runners on with one out. Eastman and the Bruin defense stayed calm, finishing two groundouts and ending game one with a 5-0 win.

How It Happened – Game Two
The game started out with a pitcher's duel, with neither team scoring a run in the first three innings. The Bruin struggles at the plate continued throughout the game, as Fox could not get by Bearcat pitcher Kenna Davis; though the Bruins managed two hits in the initial innings, the Bearcats turned two double plays to keep Davis at the minimum.

During that time, Willamette slowly built a lead, stretching out to a 3-0 advantage thanks to a trio of RBI singles. Kiley Harris, meanwhile, decided to put an end to Davis' dominant stretch in a big way — a solo shot to left field from the left fielder pulled Fox right back into the game, 1-3.

The Bruins' comeback efforts were short-lived, however, with the Bearcats scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull away. Two pop-ups and a flyout put an end to the second game, with Fox falling, 1-5. 

Top Performances
Kamryn Potter and Sharon Tomei both ended the day with two hits, with Potter scoring two runs as well. Tomei and Kiley Harris both smacked a home run, while Sydney Sandifer led the team with three RBI. In the circle, Emma Eastman picked up her sixth win of the season with a complete game shutout, the first shutout by a Bruin in nearly a calendar year.

What It Means
GFU now sits at 16-10 (9-5 NWC) and is third in the NWC standings. Willamette is now 8-16 (4-10 NWC). 

What Comes Next
The Bruins will return to Salem for games three and four of the series against Willamette, with first pitch of game one scheduled for 11:00 a.m.