TURLOCK, Calif. – SFU defeated Holy Names (Calif.) University 10-3 and lost 9-7 to California State Monterey Bay on the opening day of the Tournament of Champions in Turlock, Calif.
The annual Stanislaus Tournament of Champions, hosted by Stan State, features all seven GNAC teams, every softball program from the California Collegiate Athletic Association and the PacWest Conference except CCAA leader Cal State San Marcos.
With three days of in-region competition, the tournament will go a long way in helping teams pad their resume for the NCAA West Region Rankings, which will come out later in April.
GAME 1 | SFU 7 CSUMB 9
Simon Fraser scored five runs in the second inning but it wasn't enough as the softball team lost 9-7 to California State Monterey Bay, which received votes this week in the NFCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll, in the opening game of the Tournament of Champions.
Simon Fraser leads the GNAC and is 10th in Division II with a .351 batting average. SFU scored five runs in the second inning but the Otters responded with four runs in the third inning, tied the game at 5 in the fifth, and scored two more runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
With one out in the second,
Georgia Ogg doubled down the line to score the first two runs.
Alex Ogg reached base on a fielding error that scored
Janique Balcaen and then Hanna Fincklestein doubled to right center to score the Ogg sisters.
SFU, which leads Division II with 2.35 doubles per game, hit two more doubles in the opener, and finished with five hits. MSUB had 16 hits.
SFU used three pitchers in the game with
Anissa Zacharczuk (7-8) getting tagged with the loss.
GAME 2 | SFU 10 HOLY NAMES 3
Simon Fraser scored five runs in the the second inning and four in the third enroute to the convincing win in Game 2 at the Tournament of Champions.
SFU scored 10 runs on 10 hits.
Hanna Finkelstein had a triple, a double and 5 RBIs to lead SFU and
Janique Balcaen went 3-for-3 at the plate.
Julia Hansen (W, 2-3) picked up the win, pitching all seven inning, giving up 8 hits while striking out four.
Games continue on Saturday and Sunday.
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