SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth softball team was unable to take advantage of seven George Fox errors as the Pirates dropped both games on Senior Day at Marks Field on Sunday.
Whitworth falls to 20-18 on the season and sits third in the Northwest Conference standings at 14-12. George Fox improved to 18-22 on the season, and moved into the fourth place position in the NWC with a 15-13 record.
Game 1 – George Fox 6, Whitworth 5 (8 innings)
Sunday's opening game showcased two teams that looked to match each other play-for-play as every time the Bruins looked to go ahead, the Pirates answered with runs of their own. After trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the second inning, senior Jessica Ross reached on an error and then scored on a singled through the right side from sophomore Riley Fritz.
The teams traded runs in the second inning when a single to right field from senior Heather Hesselgesser scored junior Makenzie Hope. The Bruins went ahead in the top of the fourth inning as they pushed three runs across the plate. Whitworth was able to get two of those runs back in the bottom of the inning, when a fielder's choice sent senior Natalie Evers to first base, but allowed freshman M'Liss Powles to score. Jessica Ross came home on a sacrifice bunt from Hope to pull the Pirates within one run, 5-4.
The Pirates knotted the score in the bottom of the sixth inning as freshman pinch runner Brittany Connor scored on a throwing error. Neither team was able to score in the seventh inning, forcing play into the eighth inning where, with two outs, the George Fox's Rachel Sundquist hit a single to right field that scored the game's winning run.
Rachel Fielder (6-7) earned the win in the circle, allowing just two earned runs on seven hits while striking out six of the 36 batters she faced in eight innings. Sophomore Taylor Gilbert (5-8) took the loss, giving up just one run on two hits in 4.1 innings.
At the plate, Heather Hesselgesser and Jessica Ross each went 2-for-4, while Hesselgesser had two runs batted in.
Game 2 – George Fox 12, Whitworth 1 (5 innings)
After two scoreless innings, George Fox came alive in the third inning. Starting off with a single to center field, George Fox's second batter was hit by a pitch and the fourth batter singled to load the bases for Kayla Anderson who hit a grand slam and put the Bruins up 4-0. Bethany Chriss stepped in after Anderson and hit a solo home run to push the lead to 5-0. Three more runs would score before Whitworth was able to claim the third out and head in from the field.
Senior Jamie Brunner was able to get Whitworth on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third when she singled to center field, scoring Taylor Gilbert and pulling Whitworth within seven, 8-1. The Bruins answered with another run in the top of the fourth and three in the top of the fifth inning, as the Whitworth bats stayed quiet, recording just two hits in the final two innings.
In the circle, Erin Hento (5-6) earned the win, striking out four batters and allowing just one run on six hits. Riley Fritz (12-6) gave up four earned runs while striking out two batters in 2.1 innings.
Jamie Brunner went 1-for-3 at the plate with Whitworth's lone RBI.
Next up, Whitworth will face Willamette in a pair of rescheduled games on Tuesday, April 16th. Game one will begin at 12:00 pm.
