Linfield softball takes to the road this weekend for the first time since the Wildcats' trip to Georgia for the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
 
Following a 2-1 win over Willamette Wednesday night to clinch a series sweep of the Bearcats, Linfield will meet cross-county rival George Fox in a matchup of the top two teams in the Northwest Conference.
 
THE RECORDS
Linfield enters the series at 16-2 overall and sits atop the NWC standings with a perfect 8-0 record. George Fox is right behind the Wildcats in second place at 8-2 in NWC play (13-5 overall). The Wildcats made the leap to No. 6 in the latest NFCA Division III poll.
 
LINFIELD AT A GLANCE
The Wildcats are winners of five straight games. They're batting .345 as a team and have outscored their opponents 126-41. Katrina Johns is batting .407 to lead the team. She has 22 hits, 12 runs and 15 RBI on the season. Katie Phillips is batting .403 with a team-leading 27 hits and seven doubles while Claire Seats leads the 'Cats with 19 RBI. The reigning NWC Player of the Week, Emma Podliska batted .714 with five hits and six RBI in Linfield's sweep of Whitworth last week.
 
Tayah Kelley was named the NWC Pitcher of the Week for the third consecutive time on Monday after going 2-0 with a save against Whitworth. She tossed two complete-game shutouts, striking out a combined 23 batters in those two starts. Kelley is 10-0 in the circle with an NWC-leading 0.72 ERA and 98 strikeouts. 
 
GEORGE FOX AT A GLANCE
The Bruins are on a streak of their own, winning seven straight games in series wins over Pacific Lutheran and Pacific. Kamryn Potter is batting .400 and leads the team with 26 hits, 20 runs, 24 RBI, 10 doubles and six home runs. Sharon Tomei leads the Bruins with a .429 batting average and has 24 hits and 18 RBI on the season. Claire Fountain's .552 on-base percentage leads George Fox.
 
Ashley Davis also has 10 wins in the circle, posting a 10-2 record with nine complete games, three shutouts and a save. She has struck out 52 batters while limiting opposing lineups to a .224 batting average.
 
THE SERIES
Linfield and George Fox met 108 times. The 'Cats own a commanding lead in the series with an 88-19-1 record against the Bruins. The longest win streak was 51 straight games between 2001 and 2014. The 'Cats are 37-10-1 in Newberg and have won 8 of the last 11 meetings. The two teams split their season series in 2021 before the 'Cats knocked off the regular-season champion Bruins in the second round of the NWC Tournament.