FOREST GROVE, Ore. — After a full day of competition, the George Fox softball team ended their double header against Pacific with a split. The Lady Bruins had a runaway win for game one, 10-3, but came out with a loss after a close game two, 5-4. 

How It Happened - Game One
The game got off to a slow offensive start as each team showed off their defense, unwilling to allow any runner to touch home plate. Allison Heater led GFU's defense from the mound and for the first three innings, the game was scoreless. By the fourth, Pacific was determined to break the offensive drought, but the Lady Bruins were able to limit them to only one run after a few walks and a steal. While the Boxers were the first to get on the board, Fox made sure to not let them have the lead for long. 

Kiley Harris approached the plate first and after a phenomenal at-bat — which included five consecutive foul balls — she was awarded a well-deserved walk. However, after Morgan Palmer smacked one out to right field, Harris was able to reach third while Palmer also found herself in scoring position at second. When Kayla Mashino stepped into the box, she made sure to create chaos in the field; with a solid hit that forced Pacific's defense to slip up, it allowed not only Harris to score, but moved Palmer to third and placed Mashino at second. All it took was a SAC fly from Grace Wilson to move Mashino to third and bring Palmer home. 

Next up, Taylor Tinley recorded another walk for GFU, but slid safely into second shortly after. With two runners in scoring position, Riley Pirkle made sure to make the most of the opportunity; with a strong swing, Pirkle sent that ball deep into right field which allowed both Mashino and Tinley to cross home plate. After an eventful inning, George Fox ended the inning with an impressive score of 4-1. However, they were far from being done. 

The fifth picked up right where the Lady Bruins left off. Emily Benavidez started off the inning with a walk which allowed Hailei Barney to come in to pinch run. Harris was able to put the ball in motion in her at-bat, and it was just enough to put pressure on the Boxers defense; Harris was allowed to reach first and Barney was moved to second off this crucial Pacific error. After a SAC hit from Palmer, Harris and Barney were moved into scoring position at second and third for. After a Mia Cantu walk, the bases were loaded for Wilson. With a driving swing, Wilson sent a shot over to the left side that allowed Barney and Harris to score without any problems, while also moving Cantu to third. Wilson quickly advanced to second before Taylor approached the plate; she was able to square the ball and whacked it out to right field to bring in Cantu and Wilson to score. The inning ended with the Lady Bruins widening the gap in score even more, 8-1. 

Heater continued to put on a performance in the circle on the defensive end, and before long, Fox's bats were back in business in the seventh. This time around Sami Stadlander led off the inning with a well-placed single to the left side, before a Barney single unfortunately got Stadlander out in the process. It didn't take long before Barney was showing off her speed on the base path and she snuck in a steal to place her at second. While Palmer was awarded a walk, she wasn't at first for long; a Boxer wild pitch helped Barney and Palmer advance to third and second, respectively. 

With a hard hit single from Cantu, Pacific was forced to make an error which allowed both Barney and Palmer to safely cross home plate to bring GFU's score to double digits, 10-1. While the Boxers began to make a comeback, their rally was cut short thanks to the Lady Bruins dominant defense. After a thrilling offensive performance from Fox, the first game ended with a Bruin knockout victory, 10-3. 

How It Happened - Game Two
Unlike the first game, the offensive action came early on — especially for Pacific. In just the first two innings, they put up four runs off of a couple base hits and some sacrifice bunts. By the bottom of the third however, they weren't able to replicate their offensive streak thanks to Nicole Ledendecker on the rubber; that small break was all George Fox needed to heat up their own bats. 

Starting off the Lady Bruins' rally was Benavidez with a line drive to right field that allowed her to reach second for a double. Wilson proved to be a reliable hitter for GFU and with a solid shot to center field, she was able to reach second while Benavidez reached third. After another great at-bat from Harris that awarded her a walk, the bases were loaded for Mashino. With the pressure on in the top of the fourth, it didn't seem to get to her; she cranked the ball over the right fielder's head for a triple that brought Benavidez, Wilson, and Harris home to cut the deficit in score down to 4-3. 

The game became defense oriented as the Boxers struggled to hold their lead against Fox's persistent offense. By the top of the sixth, the Lady Bruins were finally able to break through. This time around, Kylee Manibusan started things off with a single to the pitcher off of a 2-2 pitch. While a grounder from Harris got her out in the process, Manibusan was able to reach second without any problems. With a runner in scoring position and one run away from tying the game, Taylor came up to bat ready to put the ball in motion. Her driving swing helped her knock the ball out to left field and allowed Manibusan to slide safely into home to tie the game, 4-4. 

Nerves were high as the game came down to the seventh. While George Fox was unable to secure any runs, they weren't going to allow Pacific to gain any runs either. In the bottom of the seventh, Ledendecker recorded two strikeouts and — with the help of the rest of GFU's defense — the game was still tied, leading to extra innings. Once again, the top of the eighth resulted in the Lady Bruins unable to find any holes in the Boxers defense, but this time, Pacific made sure to use the opportunity. After a couple of singles, some SAC hits, and a few walks, the Boxers were able to gain a one run lead to help them to take the win after a close game two, 5-4. 

Top Performances
Over the course of the first game, GFU recorded a total of six hits and seven walks. Grace Wilson led the team in RBIs with three while Tinley Tyalor and Riley Pirkle followed close behind with two apiece. Defensively, pitcher Allison Heater was awarded the win, making her new record 4-5. During the second game, the Bruins had a total of nine hits with Kylee Manibusan and Emily Benavidez leading the way with two each. For RBI, Kayla Mashino had the most with a total of three, thanks to her triple in the top of the sixth. 

What It Means
George Fox is now 17-17 (11-11 NWC), while Pacific is 14-18 (9-13 NWC). 

What Happens Next
The Lady Bruins will stay in Forest Grove to continue and conclude their series against Pacific with a double header on Sunday, April 19. The first game is scheduled to begin at 11:00 am, while the second will be at 2:00 pm.