REDLANDS, Calif. — After a full day of games against No. 4 Redlands, the George Fox softball team started off with one loss (11-2) in game one before turning things around in the second with an action-packed win (10-5).
How It Happened - Game 1
The Lady Bruins were quick to put their bats to work with the start of game one;
Makayla Noone started things off with a shot to right center that earned her a triple and put her immediately in scoring position.
Corine Doran hopped on the bandwagon and sent the ball over the left center wall for a two run homer to give George Fox an early 2-0 lead.
Despite GFU's strong offense, the Bulldogs were unfazed and went on to tie the game and more over the next few innings. They furthered the gap in the score with a three run home run at the bottom of the second, 6-2. While Redlands were making their own dent in the score, the Lady Bruins still managed to connect with the ball to make the 'Dogs' defense work.
The Bulldogs continued to find gaps until they ended the game in the fifth after scoring five more runs to cut the game short, 11-2, after five innings..
How It Happened - Game 2
After a quick defensive first inning, both teams came back in the second ready to get their bats going.
Morgan Palmer started things off for George Fox with a double to right center before sneaking in a steal to third that put her in scoring position. Not long after
Kayla Mashino recorded a sac fly to bring Palmer in to score, but Redlands were quick to tie the game back up, 1-1.
In the very next inning, GFU was back at it again; after
Hailei Barney earned a walk, Noone was right there with a left side single to move Barney to second. With one more walk — thanks to Doran's plate discipline — the bases were then loaded for
Tinley Taylor. Despite flying out, Taylor's sac fly helped Barney score another run. Once again, the Bulldogs were there to bite back as they tied the game and more to end the third, 3-2.
Mashino continued to create chaos on the field with a single to left as the teams went into the fourth inning. However, she wasn't at first for very long because freshman
Bailey Hill came up to the plate; with a driving swing, Hill sent the ball over the fence for a two run homer to give GFU the advantage once again, 4-3.
With a quick one-two-three defensive inning from George Fox, the Lady Bruins continued to make their fire into the fifth. This time around, Noone was the first up to bat, and she made the most of it; with a shot down the line, Noone recorded a double, but wasn't there for long before a single from Doran sent Noone to third. Coming in for Doran was
Cami Nakamura who put pressure on the defense with a quick steal that forced a Redlands error, and resulted in Nakamura on third while Noone crossed the plate to score. However, GFU didn't stop there; Palmer doubled to the right field side to allow Nakamura to easily come home and ended the inning after doubling their score, 6-3.
The Bulldogs were only allowed to get one back before their rally was cut short by GFU's defense. Back at the top of the order, Noone put the ball in play with a single to the left side before she stole second. After a
Grace Wilson walk,
Brooklyn Alejo came in to put down a sac bunt that moved both runners into scoring range. With another two walks — from Palmer and
Kiley Harris — that allowed Noone to score, it was clear the Bulldog's defense was getting tired, but the Bruins were far from taking their foot off the gas pedal.
Keeping GFU's bats alive was Mashino with a single down the line that brought in Wilson to score; shortly after a Sami Stadlander walk — that led to Palmer crossing the plate —
Bethany Wilkes recorded a sac fly to bring in Harris to score. With that final run, George Fox held a dominant 10-4 lead that Redlands attempted to reciprocate, but fell short leading to a 10-5 victory for the Lady Bruins over a Top 5 team in the nation.
Top Performances
In GFU's first game,
Makayla Noone led the way offensively with three hits — one of them being her triple — while
Corine Doran ended with two RBI's thanks to her home run. The Lady Bruins found more success in game two however. Noone once again led the way in hits with three and ended the double header going 6-7; behind Noone in hits was
Morgan Palmer and
Kayla Mashino with two apiece. Mashino along with
Bailey Hill — who also smacked a home run — each recorded 2 RBI's.
Defensively, Nicole Lendendecker was awarded the winning pitcher after pitching all seven innings and allowing only four runs.
What It Means
George Fox is now 2-2 while the Redlands shifts to 1-1.
Coach's Thoughts
"It's always nice to pickup some early wins against quality teams, adn to play against competition that forces you to elevate your level of play," said Bruin head coach Nathan Ohta."We played pretty well overall this weekend adn put together a couple of good ball games. We were able to to identify some things that we will work on as we get ready for our next games as well, so all in all, this weekend was a good start to what we are building."
What Happens Next
George Fox will begin conference play as they return to their home field for their double header against another tough opponent in No. 3 Linfield on Saturday March 7. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 pm.
