NEWBERG, Ore. — It was a beautiful, sunny day to play for the George Fox softball team in their double header against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas. In an easy shutout 7-0 win for the first game, the second proved to be closer, with a near 3-2 win for the Bruins. 

How It Happened - Game 1
Nicole Ledendecker struck out one from the mound as both teams had a quiet first inning. In the second, Ledendecker struck out the side, putting Tinely Taylor first to bat for the Bruins. After Taylor walked, Morgan Palmer followed. Mia Cantu popped to the base and smacked an RBI single to left center field, putting Fox up, 1-0. 

The third was another dominant one for the Bruins' defense, picking up three outs in a row yet again. In the fourth, the Athena's got one hit, but with no success, Fox was up on offense. After two early outs, it seemed like the Bruins might not get on the board, but Cantu singled over to left field and advanced to first. Kylee Manibusan doubled to center field, and Cantu went all the way, putting the Bruins up 2-0. Immediately following, Makayla Noone launched one to right center and earned herself an RBI, 3-0. 

The fifth started the same way as the last three innings, and Fox got Claremont-Mudd-Scripps out right away. Taylor doubled to left center, and Hailei Barney pinch ran for her. Palmer launched towards left center and stole second, while Barney advanced to third. Stadtlander then scored Barney on an RBI groundout, Fox now up 4-0. 

At the top of the sixth, Claremont-M-S had one hit — their first since the first inning — and got to first base, but no luck followed, and they still stayed scoreless. After one strikeout, Noone walked up to bat and walked for the Bruins. Grace Wilson followed in the same manner, walking, pushing Noone to scoring position. A throwing error by the Athenas was all Noone and Wilson needed to both get back to their home plate, and both scored, 6-0. Harris was up next and walked, while Kayla Mashino cracked one to center field and gained an RBI, 7-0. 

Claremont-M-S played the top of the seventh, but still ended scoreless, giving Ledendecker the complete-game shutout and the Bruins the 7-0 win. 

How It Happened - Game 2
The first inning started similar to the previous game, with not much action on the base paths. Makayla Noone got to second after walking, but nothing followed. In the second, it seemed like both teams swapped plays. The Athenas quickly had the bases loaded with just one out, causing GFU to turn to Allie Heater. Heater forced a popup and a groundout to keep the scoreboard clear.

The third is where both teams started to get on the boards. Claremont-M-S put runners on second and third base, but were able to score one on a throwing error. The next play, Gaby Robel had an RBI single to left field, putting the Athenas up, 2-0. For Fox, Charlotte Brooke walked to first, and Noone showcased her speed on a bunt single to the pitcher, Corine Doran walked, and the bases were all loaded. Harris gave the Bruins exactly what they needed and walked, resulting in Brooke scoring, 2-1. Then, Emily Benavidez reached first on a RBI fielder's choice to tie it up, 2-2. Taylor walked, getting to first and loading the bases yet again. Finally, Palmer concluded the scoring of the inning — and the game — with a sac fly to right field and earned an RBI, 2-3. 

The fourth inning was defense-dominant on both sides. Claremont-M-S was out three in a row, and the Bruins got one to base, Brooke, but nothing else. The fifth was similar; both teams had no runs or hits, all back-to-back-back outs. For the sixth, the Athenas got one hit off, but the Bruins kept them to just that. Palmer and Stadtlander both hit and got to the bases, and after Mashino walked, they were all loaded, but Fox couldn't find anything to score. 

In the seventh, Claremont-M-S had one flyout before they got one hit, then got their final two flyouts. The Bruins didn't play the bottom of it, ending in a close 3-2 win. 

Top Performances
For game one, Mia Cantu led with two hits and one RBI. Makayla Noone, Kayla Mashino, and Kylee Manibusan each had one hit and RBI, and Sami Stadtlander had just one RBI. Nicole Ledendecker got the win with a complete-game shootout.. For game two, Morgan Palmer had one RBI and hit. Emily Benavidez had one RBI. Stadtlander had two hits, while Noone had one run and one hit. Kiley Harris and Charlotte Brook each had a run. Allison Heater got the win in game two and faced 23 batters, only allowing two runs and five hits. 

What It Means
The two wins today put the Bruins at a 6-6 overall record. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is 9-8-1. 

What Happens Next
The Bruins will travel to Clermont, Fla., and play a double header on Saturday, March 21st. Game one will start at 9:15 AM against Babson, and game two will begin at 11:30 AM against No. 12 Simpson.