EUGENE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University softball team had their best opening-game victory in school history on Friday morning, knocking off Menlo College 10-0 in a five-inning mercy-rule victory. The Beacons then dropped games to #1 Cal Baptist and #4 Point Loma to open the 2010 season with a 1-2 record.

NCU dominated play in the opener, getting three-run home runs from Cassie Bishop and Brooke Davis (pictured) in the ten-run victory. The previous best season-opening win was a 6-0 win over Pacific in 2005. Davis started the game in the circle for the Beacons and sophomore Kalyssa Koontz picked up the victory in relief.

Game two was a clash with the defending NAIA National Champions, and the #1 ranked team in the nation in California Baptist. After handing Oregon Tech a 10-0 no-hitter in their first game of the Day, the Lancers wasted no time doing the same to NCU. CBU knocked five homers out of the park in a six-run second inning and cruised to a five-inning 15-0 victory. The Beacons were able to avoid the no-hitter, however, as Davis picked up a single in the fifth inning. Davis (0-1) also took the pitching loss for the Beacons, allowing seven earned runs in the first two innings.

The Beacons put together a much more respectable showing in the third game, a 4-2 loss to fourth-ranked Point Loma Nazarene. NCU went ahead 1-0 in the top of the third inning when Bishop scored on a double by freshman Kristen DeHaven. The Sea Lions scored the next four runs and the Beacons tacked on their second run in the top of the sixth when Davis scored on an RBI ground-out by DeHaven.

Davis went 3-for-3 on the game for the Beacons, extending her hitting streak, which dates back to the 2009 season, to eight straight games. DeHaven went 2-for-3 and freshman Becca Lillegard (0-1) took the loss in her first start for NCU, allowing four runs on six hits through five innings. Jenna Royce put in a solid 1-2-3 inning to close out the game for the Beacons.

Northwest Christian continues play in the Simpson University tournament tomorrow with a game against Biola University (Calif.) followed by back-to-back games with William Jessup (Calif.)