MCMINNVILLE, Ore. –
Shelby Saylors dominated a pitchers' duel to lead the Linfield Wildcats to victory in Game 1 of a Northwest Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Del Smith Stadium, but George Fox outslugged the Wildcats in Game 2 to even the series. The Wildcats won the opener 2-1 before George Fox powered its way to an 11-6 win in the nightcap.
Saylors had season-high 11 strikeouts to back up her seventh win of the season, giving up just three hits on the day.
Katie Phillips went 5 for 7 with two runs scored in the doubleheader and
Kelsey Wilkinson hit her third home run of the season to generate the Wildcats' only runs in Game 1.
The Wildcats saw their nine-game NWC win streak snapped. Linfield now stands at 14-4-1 and 9-1 in conference play. George Fox, which saw its own six-game win skien halted, moves to 11-7 overall and 5-4 in conference play.
GAME 1: Linfield 2, George Fox 1
Both pitchers had impressive outings in the series opener. The Bruins' Ashley Davis threw six innings, giving up eight hits and allowing no walks.
Shelby Saylors worked her way through seven innings, allowing just three hits in the win.
Saylors came out hot, striking out the side in the top of the first inning. She followed that with an impressive fifth, striking out the George Fox side once more.
A two-out rally in the third inning would prove to be all the Wildcats needed to win. After two quick outs, Phillips singled to get the Linfield offense going. Immediately after, Wilkinson blasted a homer to left field to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.
George Fox cut the Linfield lead to one run in the top of the sixth. A Roni Braun walk was followed by a Claire Fountain single to left field. Savannah Vargas roped a double in the left-field gap to bring in Braun for the Bruins' only run of the game.
Maddy Colson,
Makenna Clizer,
Darian Stedman, and
Chelsea Horita all registered a hit in the game.
Saylors tossed her fifth complete game of the season, improving to 7-3. Davis took the loss, dropping to 3-5.
GAME 2: George Fox 11, Linfield 6
George Fox tacked on 13 hits, including three home runs, to blow past the Wildcats, 11-6.
The Bruins put a run on the board early when Savannah Vargas hit a first-inning single to drive in Braun. Linfield retaliated with three runs of its own in the bottom of the first. The Wildcats collected three hits to take an early 3-1 lead.
The Bruins added three more runs in the second when Alyssa Gonzalez hit a three-run homer to bring home Allison Meyer and Olivia Nelson.
Linfield would score a run in the bottom of the second inning after the Bruins' Gonzalez allowed a bases-loaded passed ball after a
Kelsey Wilkinson strikeout that brought
Kamryn Apling home from third base. Apling went 2 for 3 in the game with two runs scored.
The Wildcats then put up two more runs in the fourth off of a sacrifice fly by Wilkinson and an error by the Bruins' Claire Fountain. But that would be the end of the Wildcats' scoring.
In the fifth and sixth innings, it was all George Fox. The Bruins scored five runs in the fifth as Braun homered to left-center to plate three runs. The Bruins then added two more runs with an Allison Meyer homer.
Winter Ridgeway picked up the win with a complete-game performance, improving to 6-2. Wildcats starter
Tanna Benson struggled to tame the George Fox bats. She gave up 10 hits and nine runs before giving the ball to
Eliza Rossman in the sixth inning. Benson's perfect 8-0 pitching record was finally snapped in the loss.
Next
Linfield and George Fox are scheduled to finish the series Sunday at Del Smith Stadium with another doubleheader. First pitch is set for noon.
