BURNABY, B.C. – The long wait is over.

On Friday, the Simon Fraser softball team played its first regular season games since March 8, 2020. Head coach Tina Andreana's squad made a triumphant return to the field, winning its opening two outings at the D2 Cactus Classic in Tucson, Arizona.
 
SFU beat Eastern New Mexico 7-3 to start its 2022 campaign, before dispatching California of Pennsylvania 11-3 in five innings.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning, junior infielder Hanna Finkelstein hit a three-run home run to center field to put SFU ahead 3-1. The Ogg sisters, Georgia and Alex, got on base with bunt singles, setting the stage for Finkelstein.

Rebecca Kirkpatrick, a sophomore who played at second base, added to the SFU lead in the bottom of the fifth. She hit a two-RBI single to score Finkelstein and pinch runner Grace Peters, a freshman infielder from Australia making her SFU debut Friday.

Eastern New Mexico got two runs back in the top of the sixth inning, but Canada's NCAA team replied with two runs in the bottom half. Freshman right fielder Janique Balcaen opened with her first hit as a university player. The Oggs both earned walks before an error by ENMU allowed a pair of runs to cross home plate.  

Sophomore pitcher Anissa Zacharczuk gave up just a single run in five innings of work to earn the win. Freshman Julia Hansen earned the save after not allowing a hit in the final 1.2 innings.

Against California (Pa.), SFU scored three runs in the top of the first inning and tacked on four more in the second. The team added a pair of runs each in the third and fourth to go ahead 11-0.

Over the course of Friday's two contests, six SFU players recorded their first collegiate softball hits: Balcaen, Peters, Hannah Beram, Kristen Davyduke, Abby McGlynn, and Caitlin Zagari.

Simon Fraser's last games before the start of the current pandemic took place 712 days ago on March 8, 2020 at Beedie Field. A doubleheader sweep that Sunday over Montana State Billings improved SFU's record to 13-5. It was leading the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with a 7-1 mark when the NCAA season was cancelled. The program did not play last season.

SFU's 2022 campaign continues with two games – against Colorado Christian (1 p.m. PT) and Colorado Mesa (3 p.m. PT) – Saturday at the D2 Cactus Classic. The team will wrap up the tournament Sunday with a matchup against Western New Mexico. It will host its first home doubleheader on February 26 against Central Washington.

- with files from California of Pennsylvania Athletics

For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit https://athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.

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