BURNABY, B.C. – Senior Day for Simon Fraser softball ended in triumphant fashion as the hosts defeated Montana State Billings 2-1 in eight innings Sunday to cap off their Great Northwest Athletic Conference series. The visiting Yellowjackets won Sunday's Game 1 8-5 to split a doubleheader for the second-consecutive day at Beedie Field in Burnaby, B.C.
"We played a solid team. A very good hitting team and our pitchers did well to keep them at bay," said SFU head coach Tina Andreana. "Our defence did a great job. Offensively, we missed a few timely hits here and there, but we did have some good numbers so I'm pretty proud of how our players competed."
It was the final home series of the campaign for SFU (17-19, 8-12 GNAC), and the last games at Beedie Field for the team's eight graduating players:
Hannah Boulanger,
Chelsea Hotner,
Hanna Finkelstein,
Rebecca Kirkpatrick,
Alex Ogg,
Georgia Ogg,
Lauren Schwartz, and
Anissa Zacharczuk. They were honoured at the end of the series with family and friends.
Andreana says they are a special collection of players.
"They were kind of the first group I came in with and took me through a couple of years. The leadership qualities they had. The fight they had through the years of adversity they faced with COVID. Everything they've done for the team, the program and for me, they're just great human beings and great athletes."
GAME 1 | Montana St. Billings 8, Simon Fraser 5
MSU Billings recorded three home runs in the Game 1 victory. Marin Penney hit a three-run shot that helped put MSUB up 5-0 in the third inning.
In the home half of the third, Boulanger got the SFU offence going with an RBI single to score Finkelstein.
Alex Ogg cut the deficit further by driving in two runs on a single through the left side in the fourth. After Kirkpatrick and
Georgia Ogg touched home plate, SFU trailed just 5-3.
Brittanee Fisher replied for the Yellowjackets by hitting a solo home run in the fifth. She became the school's all-time leader with 41 in her career.
SFU closed to 6-5 with a Hotner 2-RBI single to right field in the sixth.
Alex Ogg and Finkelstein scored, but the team did not get any closer.
MSUB got a two-run home run from Maycen O'Neil in the seventh.
SFU loaded the bases with no outs in the final inning, but Alyssa Etheridge of the Yellowjackets got a pair of strikeouts and a foul out to close out the win.
The hosts also had two players in scoring position with one out in the fifth but were unable to convert.
Hotner had four hits in Game 1, while Alex and
Georgia Ogg each recorded three.
GAME 2 | Simon Fraser 2, Montana St. Billings 1 (8 innings)
Freshman pitcher
Shaneika Hollingworth (4-3) led SFU to victory by throwing an eight-inning complete game. She allowed just four hits and a run, and just one MSUB player was able to reach base against Hollingworth after the second inning. She was locked in a pitchers' duel with Alyssa Etheridge (6-9), who took the loss despite surrendering five hits and an earned run over seven innings.
Shaneika Hollingworth. Photo by Wilson Wong
With the score tied at 1-1, a trio of SFU seniors came up big in the eighth.
Alex Ogg led off with a well-placed single to third base. Finkelstein then drove a 2-2 pitch to left field. With a pair of runners on base, Hotner hit a hard, bouncing shot towards first base. The MSUB defence could not handle the ball cleanly, and
Alex Ogg scored the winning run from second base.
The Yellowjackets put together three-consecutive singles in the top of the second inning to go ahead 1-0.
Hotner tied the contest in the bottom of the third with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored freshman
Caitlin Zagari.
Finkelstein, Hotner, Kirkpatrick,
Alex Ogg, and Zagari had SFU's hits in Game 2.
In total, Hotner had five hits in Sunday's two games.
"I was just seeing the ball really well," she said. "I'm really happy with my play today, and I couldn't have asked for a better Senior Day.
"It's been a long six years for me, especially with COVID. I decided to come back for a sixth year, and I'm super glad I did. Having Senior Day and graduating with all my best friends just means so much."
Heading into the final week of the regular season, SFU is one game behind Central Washington for the final spot to the GNAC post-season tournament. SFU will play at Northwest Nazarene (27-17, 15-5 GNAC), which is tied for the lead in the GNAC standings, next weekend in Idaho. Central Washington (18-22, 9-11 GNAC) will host Western Oregon (21-25, 6-14 GNAC) to round out conference play. The GNAC Softball Championships are scheduled for May 5-7 in Lacey, Washington.
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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