BURNABY, BC – The Simon Fraser University softball team split a double header with UBC, losing Game 1 9-4 but coming back to take the night cap, 6-3, Tuesday at Beedie Field on campus.
 
The T-Birds put together back-to-back four run innings in the fifth and sixth to come-from-behind to beat the Clan 9-4 in the opener. SFU had jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
 
SFU opened with two runs in the first when junior catcher Nicole Ratel doubled to centre field to score two runs. Freshman second base Taylor Lundrigan, batting in the seven spot, led-off with a homerun to open the second, her third homerun of the season, staking the Clan to a 3-0 lead. Lundrigan went 2-for-2 in the game and was batting .324 entering the contest.
 
Clan starter Jessica Goulet pitched three scoreless innings before giving up one in the fourth, followed by eight in the next two innings. The junior from Cambridge, ON, pitched six and two third innings giving up 15 hits and nine runs, eight of them earned. She dropped to 1-4 on the season.
 
UBC's Zoe Gillis came on in relief of Lindsey Ogilvie in the third and tossed a four-hitter to pick up her fifth win of the season.
 
"Game one was a perfect storm for us. It was our first after a 2 1/2 week layoff, our first home games of the year and our cross town rivals, which amounted to a tight team," said Clan coach Mike Renney. "We were fortunate to get an early lead but simply were not playing good ball.  Anytime the hits you give up and the errors you make add up to double digits you are usually in trouble."
 
It was the fifth time SFU has given up double digit hits this season, all losses. Simon Fraser committed a season-high six errors in the opener against the 'Birds as well.
 
"If anything the score could and most likely should have been worse than it was," added Renney.
 
The night cap was reversed with the T-Birds jumping out to a 3-0 lead and chasing Clan freshman pitcher Alia Stachoski with one out in the fourth and two runners on. Senior Kelsie Hawkins came on to snuff out the rally and went on to throw a two-hitter with two strikeouts, to improve to 4-0 this season.
 
"In game two we were again tentative and could have folded our tents when down 3-0, but it was our team resilience that has allowed us to rebound a number of times already this year that came into play in our come back," said Renney.  "I was very pleased with our gutting out the second victory to split the double header after a poor first game."
 
 SFU scored runs in the third (1), fourth (2) and fifth (3) for the 6-3 margin, tagging UBC starter Gillis for 10 hits and all six runs. Lundrigan, senior catcher Kaitlyn Cameron and outfielder Rachel Proctor had back-to-back-to-back doubles in the decisive fifth inning when the Clan put the game away. Proctor went 3-for-3 with 1 RBI while first base Alex Baylak was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI.
 
Simon Fraser is now 8-6 while UBC is 9-17.
 
SFU has double headers scheduled on Saturday against Central Washington and Sunday against Concordia University at Beedie Field. (Game time is 1 PM and 3 PM).
 
SFU plays UBC again on April 6 at North Delta.