NEWBERG, Ore. – Katie Phillips drilled two home runs and Tayah Kelley pitched a masterpiece in the circle, leading the Linfield Wildcats to a decisive 8-3 victory over regular-season champion George Fox Friday afternoon during the second round of the Northwest Conference Tournament at George Fox University.
 
Linfield (35-7) advances to play Whitworth (15-22) in the tournament's championship round Saturday at noon. The Pirates will need to defeat the Wildcats twice in order to claim the tournament title and with it, the NWC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs.
 
Against their Yamhill County rival on Friday, Linfield notched runs in every inning but the second, including two runs each in the final two frames to put George Fox (28-11) away.
 
Kelley held the Division III's leader in home runs to just a single solo blast by Emma Classen in the fifth inning, the Bruins' first of the tournament after hitting 73 during the regular season.
 
Phillips and the Wildcats jumped to a 2-0 lead after two innings, thanks to the junior outfielder's solo home run in the first inning and an RBI double in the third. George Fox got on the scoreboard after Kimberly Pulido tripled, then was sacrificed home by Olivia Nelson.
 
The Wildcats kept the pressure on Bruins starter Ashley Davis, adding single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to open up a 4-1 advantage.
 
Linfield plated two more runs in the sixth when Katrina Johns led off the inning with a single through the left side, then advanced all the way to home plate after the Bruins mishandled a ball put in play by Katrina Mobley. Kelsey Wilkinson then pushed Mobley home with a double to right-center field, giving the Wildcats a commanding 6-1 advantage.
 
The Bruins trimmed the margin to three runs with single tallies in the fifth and sixth innings, but the Wildcats slammed the door when Phillips hit her second home run of the game with the first pitch of the seventh inning.
 
Wilkinson went 3 for 4, scored twice and stole a base on her 23rd birthday. Phillips also went 3 for 4, driving home three runs. Jenny Ball and Abi Proffitt also turned in multi-hit games for the Wildcats, who rolled up 14 hits on the Bruins pitching staff.
 
Davis, one of the top pitchers in the NWC, had to settle for the loss, falling to 17-5. She lasted 5 2/3 innings, yielding 10 hits while failing to strike out a single Wildcat.
 
Kelley pitched all but the final out of the game, striking out nine Bruins while giving up three hits and three walks. She threw 113 pitches before turning the game over to Maddy Podnar, who calmly struck out Classen for the final out.