TACOMA, Wash. — The George Fox softball team began their four-game series against Puget Sound with a delayed doubleheader. After a low-scoring, Logger win in the first game (4-2), the Lady Bruins came back swinging — literally — and ended the second game in the fifth after a dominant display of offense, 12-2. 

How It Happened - Game One
After an unexpected rain delay, the Lady Bruins came out ready in the first to put the ball in play. Makayla Noone started things off with a walk after having good discipline at the plate, but she wasn't there for long; she was able to steal two bases in the blink of an eye to land her in scoring position at third. All it took was a hard-hit double down the right field line from Tinley Taylor to send Noone home and put Fox on the board, 1-0.

Over the next couple of innings, the Loggers struggled to get past GFU's dominant defense. With Riley Pirkle in the circle for George Fox, the Bruins were able to get out of the bottom of the first unscathed with two Puget Sound runners in scoring position. However, the Logger's bats finally began to heat up in the third; with a base hit and a home run hit immediately after, UPS took a one run lead, but they didn't stop there. In the bottom of the fourth, they continued their hitting streak with a couple well-placed hits and some SAC flies to widen the gap in the score, 4-1. 

Despite the pressure, the Lady Bruins continued to perform through their defense over the next few innings with Allison Heater now on the rubber. While Fox was down in the score, they remained resilient through their offense — especially Kiley Harris. With a driving swing on a 1-1 pitch, Harris sent the ball over the left center wall for a solo homer to begin closing the gap in the score. Over the next few innings both teams struggled to keep their bats hot, but by the seventh — after a single from Sami Stadlander — the Loggers were able to take game one with a score of 4-2. 

How It Happened - Game Two
In the first three innings, Puget Sound continued their offensive streak from the game before; they  recorded a homer as well as a few base hits to put them on the board, 2-0. However, the Loggers weren't ready for the Lady Bruins to make their own comeback in the fourth. Emily Benavidez started things off with an early walk before she advanced to second off of a smashing double from Riley Pirkle. With two runners in scoring position, Stadlander was sure to make the most of it and was able to single off a hard hit to center field; this not only brought in Benavidez to score, but Stadlander also landed at second to put more pressure on Puget Sound. Shortly after, Kayla Mashino recorded her own base hit to help Pirkle safely cross home plate to tie the game, 2-2. 

While Fox was able to quickly tie the game back up, they were still hungry for more. After a Mashino steal, Morgan Palmer stepped into the box, ready to create chaos on the field. On a 2-1 pitch, Palmer sent a moonshot over the right field wall for a three run homer to make the gap in the score even bigger. It didn't take long before GFU was back in action. Grace Wilson was able to get on first after a Logger error, but Wilson was shortly on second after Harris battled out of a 3-2 count for a walk; the pressure was getting to Puget Sound and — thanks to a wild pitch from UPS — Wilson and Harris found themselves in scoring position at third and second. Corine Doran was able to put the ball in motion in the infield and that was all it took to bring Wilson sliding into home to make the score an impressive 6-2. 

George Fox brought their momentum over to their defense and were able to have a one-two-three bottom of the fourth with Nicole Lendendecker pitching in the circle. Now in the fifth, the Lady Bruins were then quick to pick up their offense right where they left off. This time around, Mashino began the inning with a good walk before she snuck in a steal to place her at second. After both Palmer and Harris were hit, the bases were loaded in no time for Tinley. 

With a hard-hit single to center it was enough to not only score Mashino, but Palmer as well. With Harris now at second, Doran recorded another base-hit for the Bruins — this was sent far to the right side — which helped Tinley reach third and Harris cross home plate without any problems. However Tinley wasn't there for long; once again the pressure got to the Loggers, and after a pass ball, Tinley came sliding safely into home, 10-2. 

While two outs were already down, GFU remained focused on their offense, not letting the stress get to them. With Doran already at third in scoring position, Benavidez recorded another well-disciplined walk to land her at first. Stepping next into the box was freshman Jaemyson Durfee and she was sure to make the most of the opportunity; with a shot to the right side, Durfee not only recorded her first collegiate hit, but also moved Benavidez to second and brought Doran in to score for an RBI single. All it took was a strong base hit to the left side from Brooklyn Alejo, to bring Benavidez around to score. While the Loggers attempted to make a comeback, they were unable to get past freshman pitcher Sarah Jacobs and GFU's lockdown defense; after a thrilling offensive game, the Lady Bruins took game two, 12-2, in only five innings. 

Top Performances
While game one was a low-scoring game, that didn't stop George Fox from putting the ball in play; the team had a total of six hits with Taylor Tinley claiming half of these with three hits in total — including two doubles. Sami Stadlander, Makayla Noone, and Kiley Harris also had one apiece. Fox also recorded six walks throughout the game. Despite the game before, GFU was able to make the offensive adjustment for game two. This time around, the Lady Bruins recorded 11 hits with three players having two each: Corine Doran, Morgan Palmer, and Stadlander. Not only did Palmer lead in hits, but — thanks to her homer in the fourth — she also led in RBI's with three; Doran and Tinley also each contributed two RBIs apiece. GFU was also putting in the work in the base paths and by the end of game two, Mashino had two stolen bases. Defensively, Nicole Ledendecker was awarded the win making her new record 8-2. 

What It Means
George Fox is now 14-16 (8-10 NWC), while Puget Sound is 5-23 (3-15 NWC). 

What Happens Next
The Lady Bruins will stay in Tacoma, Wash. to continue and conclude their series against Puget Sound with another double header on Sunday, April 12. The first game is scheduled to begin at 11:00 am while the second is at 1:00 pm.