BURNABY, B.C. – After beginning the 2023 NCAA softball season with 26 games away from Burnaby, B.C., the Simon Fraser Red Leafs hosted their home games of the campaign Friday against Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) at Beedie Field.
The defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Nighthawks defeated the Red Leafs twice, earning 8-2 and 24-1 triumphs on a cold day atop Burnaby Mountain.
GAME 1 – Northwest Nazarene 8, Simon Fraser 2
SFU got the first run of the game in the opening inning. Junior outfielder
Megan Duclos (Saint-Eustache, Que.) got on board via an error – and got to second base – to start the game. She later scored from third on the same play where sophomore designated player
Kristen Davyduke (Saskatoon) stole second.
The Red Leafs maintained their slim lead until the top of the fourth inning when NNU took a 4-1 advantage. Madison Felter of the Nighthawks broke a 1-1 tie with a 2-RBI double to right field. NNU added another run on an SFU throwing error later in the inning.
The visitors added a pair of runs in the top of the fifth – on a sacrifice fly, and an error – to make it 6-1.
Rachel Boles. Photo by Wilson Wong
Sophomore outfielder
Abby McGlynn (Langley, B.C.) of the Red Leafs led off the sixth inning with a home run over the fence in left field. It was her second home run of the season, and her team-leading 23rd run batted in of the 2023 campaign.
The Nighthawks rounded out the scoring in the seventh with a Maia McNicoll solo home run.
Davyduke, Duclos, McGlynn, sophomore outfielder
Janique Balcaen (Winnipeg) and sophomore infielder
Caitlin Zagari (Winnipeg) had the hits for SFU.
GAME 2 – Northwest Nazarene 24, Simon Fraser 1 (5 innings)
NNU scored eight times in the second inning and 10 in the fourth to secure the run-rule win.
Zagari got SFU's only hit, a second-inning RBI-double up the middle that scored freshman shortstop
Amy Hughes (Brampton, Ont.), who got on board with a one-out walk.
Amy Hughes. Photo by Wilson Wong
The two sides will contest another doubleheader Saturday at Beedie Field, beginning at 12 noon.
Ticket purchase links:
Season tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-softball-season-pass-2023-tickets-528774808687
March 25:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-softball-vs-northwest-nazarene-university-double-header-tickets-528761378517
For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit
athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.
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