NEWBERG, Ore. — In their midweek double header, the George Fox softball team ended with two losses; while the first game ended in six innings (11-3), the Lady Bruins fought in the second game to put the pressure on in extra innings, but came out with another loss, 6-3.
How It Happened - Game One
It didn't take long for Saint Benedict's bats to come alive and with a well-placed homerun, they took an early 1-0 lead. Despite their initial aggression on offense, they were unable to replicate it in the second because of Nicole Lendecker's work in the circle as well as GFU's defense. In the bottom of the second, Fox was able to keep their momentum going into their own offense.
Emily Benavidez started things off with a walk after battling with a 3-2 count before she advanced to second thanks to a solid single to the left side from
Tinley Taylor. With the pressure on,
Kayla Mashino was able to bring chaos to the field when she came up to the plate; after putting the ball in play, the Bennies made several errors that helped Benavidez cross home plate to tie the game, 1-1.
However, George Fox was far from finished. After another quick defensive inning,
Sami Stadtlander began the rally for the Lady Bruins with a hard hit double in the bottom of the third. She was quickly moved to third in scoring position after a well-placed SAC bunt from
Grace Wilson. All it took was a sacrifice fly to center field from
Makayla Noone to send Stadtlander in to score to give GFU their first advantage of the game, 2-1.
The game abruptly shifted back to Saint Benedict's favor in the top of the fifth; CSB went on a huge two-out rally to find gaps in the field and, after some strategically hit singles and doubles, the Bennies tied the game and more, 7-2. In spite of the score differential, the Lady Bruins' bats weren't finished — especially
Morgan Palmer's. With a first pitch swing, Palmer sent the ball deep over the center field wall to get one back before the fifth inning ended, 7-3. However, the Bennies only continued their energy from the inning before and gained another four runs that Fox couldn't replicate, leading to a 11-3 Saint Benedict win.
How It Happened - Game Two
This time around, the game started off with a pitcher's battle with
Riley Pirkle leading the Bruins the circle. It was only with a two run shot in the third and a well-placed hit in the fourth that allowed Saint Benedict to get the first runs of the game, 3-0. However, George Fox responded quickly, and like the first game, Palmer was the one doing the damage. She smacked the ball and sent it over the right field wall for a dinger to put Fox on the board, 3-1.
For the next couple of innings, both teams continued to try and find gaps in the field, but were unsuccessful in breaking past the defense until the seventh inning. After stopping Saint Benedict from getting any more runs, it all came down to the bottom of the seventh for the Lady Bruins. Pirkle got the rally train going with a single to center field before Mashino came in to pinch run. It was when Noone came up to bat that the game changed entirely; despite being down in the count (0-2), she stuck her bat out and squared the ball up to send it over the center fielder's head for a two run shot to tie the game and send it into extra innings, 3-3.
Despite the pressure, once again Saint Benedict remained resolute and did not back down. With a couple of hits in the holes and a strategic bunt, the Bennies doubled their score to put the stress back on Fox. Despite their rally in the seventh, George Fox couldn't replicate it in the eighth, leading the Bennies to take game two, 6-3.
Top Performances
Leading George Fox in hits for game one was
Tinley Taylor with two; for RBI's,
Morgan Palmer had the most with two thanks to her homerun in the fifth. In the second game, the Lady Bruins made an adjustment at the plate. This time around,
Corine Doran led the team in hits with three, while
Makayla Noone — after her homer in the seventh to send the game into extra innings — recorded two RBI's; along with Noone, Palmer also hit a homer to give her two in all on the day.
What It Means
Saint Benedict rises to 8-4, while George Fox falls to 4-6 (2-2 NWC).
What Happens Next
The Lady Bruins have a quick turnaround and will be back on their home turf on Wednesday, March 18 for their doubleheader against Claremont-Mudd-Scipps; the first game is scheduled to begin at 10:00 am while the second is at 12:00 pm.
