D3 softball – George Fox finishes in third place with a 19-9 conference mark

McMINNVILLE — George Fox’s run in the Northwest Conference tournament came to a close after a 7-5 loss at the hands of Lewis & Clark College on Sunday, May 11.

The Bruins finished in third place in the eight-team Northwest Conference with a 19-9 record (26-17 overall), falling behind the Pioneers and Linfield Wildcats. The No. 6-ranked Wildcats finished the regular season at 25-3 and received an automatic bid to the national tourney after winning the conference. It’s their seventh consecutive title.

After beating the Pioneers on Friday, May 9, in the first round of the tournament, the Bruins got off to a blistering start in the rematch in the top of the first inning two days later in the semifinals. Senior infielder Sharon Tomei took the first pitch she saw to deep left field, hammering the ball over the fence to give the Bruins an early 1-0 lead.

Sophomore outfielder Makayla Noone then doubled and stole third to reach scoring position, but a shallow fly by senior infielder Brooke Riggins and a strikeout by sophomore utility player Kylie Harris ended the at-bat with the Bruins up just 1-0.

Freshman pitcher Nicole Ledendecker found trouble in the bottom of the inning and loaded the bases. She earned two quick outs, but an error by Riggins kept the inning alive for the Pioneers. The Bruins escaped the inning thanks to a flyout to Harris in left field to keep the score at 1-0 in George Fox’s favor.

A Kayla Mashino two-out single in the top of the second failed to generate a run as the Bruins clutched a lead they would soon relinquish.

The Pioneers raced to the lead in the bottom of the inning, scoring six runs on four singles, an error, two walks and a hit by pitch to chase Ledendecker from the game. The Bruins’ Alison Heater came in in relief, and the Bruins got out of the inning after senior catcher Sydney Sandifer sent a Lewis & Clark runner to the dugout on a backpick to first base.

Tomei earned a four pitch walk to start the top of the third inning, then Sandifer blasted her seventh home run of the year to cut the Pioneer lead to 6-3.

Noone walked, then Riggins singled but was called out on the next play thanks to a bunt that went awry. A popup by senior infielder Nicole Campa ended the inning with the Bruins still facing a 6-3 deficit.

Both teams’ offenses went cold for an inning before the Pioneers added an insurance run to take a 7-3 lead into the bottom of the fourth. Lewis & Clark posted several more base runners, but the Bruins stymied them from scoring any additional runs in that inning.

A couple of singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fifth for the Bruins, then Harris sent freshman utility player Morgan Palmer home on a sacrifice fly to move the score to 7-4. George Fox stranded the remainder of the runners in the inning.

Tomei smashed her second solo dinger of the day to start a comeback in the top of the seventh inning to bring the score to 7-5. Sandifer got on base via an Pioneer error, but three straight flyouts ended the game, and the season, for the Bruins.