LACEY, Wash. – There is only one unbeaten team remaining in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference after Saint Martin's swept a four-game weekend series from SFU, winning two games 7-6 (9 innings) and 6-2 Sunday afternoon.
Sunday's two losses followed two losses on Saturday, that dropped SFU from 4-0 to 4-4 in conference play (9-10 overall). The Saints have won 11 straight games and now sit atop the conference standings with a 4-0 record (14-8 overall).
GAME ONE | SMU 7, SFU 6 (9 INNINGS)
Trailing 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Saint Martin's ended the first game with one swing of the bat.
With Malia Pinder on base, Vanessa Smoke ended the game with a two-run blast to left to send the Saints to a 7-6 victory.
Both teams scored two runs in the third inning before Simon Fraser put three on the board in the seventh for a 5-2 lead. The three-run inning was aided by two throwing errors and one fielding error that enable SFU to score three runs.
Needing three to tie, the Saints put two runners on and a two RBI double cut the lead to 5-4. Another RBI double to right center sent the game into extra innings.
SFU went up 6-5 in the top of the ninth when
Hannah Boulanger singled down the right field line to score
Alex Ogg. Ogg had opened the inning with a single through the middle of the infield and then stole second. After
Chelsea Hotner lined out, Boulanger brought Ogg home.
Smoke's homerun delivered the Saints a 7-6 win.
Ogg went 4-of-5 at the plate, stole two bases and scored three runs in the opener.
Chelsea Hotner opened the scoring with two-run homerun over the right field fence for her second homerun of the season. She also leads the team with eight doubles. SFU got two hits apiece from Hotner,
Hanna Finkelstein and
Rebecca Kirkpatrick in a 12-hit performance.
SFU stole six bases in the contest.
Julia Hansen started the game, pitched 6 and 1/3 innings, giving up nine hits and five runs while striking out three.
Anissa Zacharczuk gave up three hits and two runs in relief and was charged with the loss. She is now 6-5 this season.
GAME TWO | SMU 6, SFU 2
Simon Fraser struck first in the second game, scoring one in the first. However, the lead did not hold long as Saint Martin's scored two runs in the first inning and three more in the second to chase SFU starting pitcher
Shaneika Hollingworth. Makayla Benz and
Julia Hansen came on in relief and combined to give up one hit and three walks the rest of the way but it wasn't enough as SFU produced few scoring opportunities.
Saints pitcher Chloe Leverington held SFU's explosive offence in check, gaving up seven hits to pick up her fifth win and remain unbeaten this season.
Hollingworth was tagged with the loss after giving up six hits and five runs. She is now 2-2 on the year.
SFU scored first in the first inning when
Hannah Boulanger singled to right centre to score lead-off hitter Ogg. SFU briefly held the 1-0 lead but the team didn't score again until the seventh inning on an Ogg solo homer to right center. It was the first homerun of the season for Ogg, who leads SFU with a .479 average. Ogg also had a double in the game and now has six multiple-base hits this season.
--With files from Sain Martin's University
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