Facing two nationally-ranked teams is a formidable challenge in any sport. That was the challenge on the stage for the Pacific University softball team on Saturday afternoon. The Boxers saw its 2018 season end in a pair of losses, 9-7 to No. 16 Linfield and 7-2 to No. 14 George Fox at the Northwest Conference Softball Tournament on Saturday in Newberg.

The Boxers (22-17) will graduate four seniors (Alyssa Burns, Haley Kodama, Erin Shick and Trisha Snydar) from a team that was picked to finish seventh in the conference preseason poll in January and be one of the final three teams alive in the conference tournament on Saturday afternoon. As they had done all season, the four seniors gave leadership to a team that left it all on the field, dirt stains on its uniforms, tears in happiness and in sadness as well as memories for a lifetime.
 
In the opening game, Linfield scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to rally for the 9-7 win over the Boxers. Pacific had just five hits among five-different players in the loss, including Hailey Miller, who hit a three-run home run in the first. Also with a hit and four RBI was Montana Vaught, who also hit a home run in the loss. Both Vaught and Miller are part of the foundation that Pacific head coach Liz Yandall and her staff are building upon for the future years.
 
Miller put Pacific ahead in the first inning with a three-run home run for the early lead. It was the third home run of the tournament for the freshman from Elk Grove, California. Then, the Boxers added to its lead when Vaught hit a grand slam in the third inning. Linfield cut into the Pacific lead, scoring three runs on two hits and capitalizing on a pair of Pacific miscues to make it 7-5. The Wildcats plated a run in the fifth, lowering the Pacific lead to 7-6. Linfield took its first and only lead of the game in the sixth on a three-run home run by Darian Stedman for what proved to be the difference in the game.   
 
The loss to the Wildcats sent the Boxers to an elimination game and a rematch from Friday against host George Fox.
 
To start the game against the Bruins, the Boxers went ahead early on the long ball. This time, it was senior Haley Kodama (pictured), who hit the home run off the left-field scoreboard at the Morse Athletic Field for the early lead. Later in the inning, Hailey Miller doubled to center field, scoring Nicole Martinez, who had reached on an error after the Kodama home run. A run each in the third and the fourth inning tied the game for the host Bruins at 2.
 
George Fox went ahead in the fifth inning, scoring two runs on two hits for a 4-2 lead. Then, they added to their lead with three more runs on two hits in the sixth inning en route to the 7-2 win.

For Pacific, Kodama ended her Pacific career with a pair of hits and fellow senior Erin Shick lost her first decision of the season after a four-inning stint, falling to 6-1.