BURNABY, BC – The chance to compete in the post-season is slowly slipping away for Simon Fraser University as the Clan lost its sixth straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference softball game, dropping a pair to Saint Martin's University Saturday at Beedie Field.
Saint Martin's scored 25 runs in two games to defeat Simon Fraser, 15-3, and, 10-4. The Clan has now lost six in a row and its conference record has dropped to 5-11. Saint Martin's leads the league with a 12-2 record.
Simon Fraser remains in the hunt for the post-season trailing a quartet of teams, including Montana State Billings (13-7) WWU (11-7), Western Oregon (8-6) and Central Washington (9-7) as all five teams battle for the final three playoff spots behind conference leading Saint Martin's.
The Saints scored three runs in each of the first three innings for a 9-2 lead in game one and never looked back. Saint Martin's added six more runs in the seventh inning.
"We simply ran into a hot team today that was worthy of their sweep," said Clan coach
Mike Renney. "Today was also the last time we will have to face St. Martin's all-star pitcher and hitter, Samantha Munger. She has certainly earned our respect over her outstanding career."
Munger, in her senior season for the Saints, pitched all seven innings for SMU, giving up seven hits as she faced 29 batters.
SFU's
Jessica Goulet and
Meghan Malkowich combined to give up 15 hits, including two homeruns.
Clan second base
Taylor Lundrigan went 3-for-4 in game one.
In the second game, SMU got on the scoreboard early again, scoring four runs in the first inning, one in the second and two in the fourth.
Simon Fraser had a run in the first and third innings. The Clan added two more runs in the fifth when freshman
Victoria Saunders hit her first career home run, a two-run blast.
SFU's
Alia Stachoski was tagged with the loss after giving up 18 hits and eight runs in six innings. Goulet came on to finish the seventh inning and gave up two hits and two runs.
SMU pitcher Alia Kim Nelson faced 23 batters, giving up four runs and nine hits. Munger came in to face the last 10 Clan batters and gave up just two hits.
"The series was not without some silver linings as we did pound out 18 hits in the two games and we scored in three different innings in each of the games," said Renney.
The Clan completes its home stand against Western Oregon on Sunday (1:00 PM) on campus.
