BURNABY, B.C. – The Simon Fraser softball team took favoured Central Washington to eight innings in both games of their Great Northwest Athletic Conference doubleheader Monday at Beedie Field, but visiting Wildcats earned 11-6 and 10-4 victories for the sweep.

Sophomore left fielder Abby McGlynn (Langley, B.C.) tied the SFU and GNAC records for most doubles in a single game after recording three in Monday's opener.

"I think we have to remind ourselves of the positives from days like today where it doesn't feel very good to lose the way we did," said Stacy Fournier, interim head coach of the Red Leafs. "We still have a few of our hitters just mashing the ball, which is always nice. We haven't been able to string things together and come together like a team the way we'd like. But, we are a young squad so we do have time to build and that is the exciting part."

GAME 1 – Central Washington 11, Simon Fraser 6 (8 innings)
Down 3-0 after a half inning, the Red Leafs (8-33, 2-16 GNAC) responded with a triple from junior center fielder Megan Duclos (Sainte-Eustache, Que.) to start the bottom of the first. Freshman shortstop Amy Hughes from Brampton, Ont., brought Duclos home with a sacrifice fly. McGlynn followed with her first double of the day but the inning ended with her at third base.

Caitlin Zagari, a sophomore from Winnipeg who played at first base, hit a solo home run in the second inning to make it a 3-2 game. She drove a 1-0 pitch off the Beedie Field scoreboard for her second home run of the season.

The Wildcats (19-23, 7-11 GNAC) added single runs in the third and fourth innings to go ahead 5-2. 

The Red Leafs rallied to tie the game in the home half of the fifth. Sophomore right fielder Janique Balcaen (Winnipeg) plated Duclos with a sacrifice fly. Rookie second baseman Laura Winters from Brooklin, Ont., singled to center field to score McGlynn, who had gotten on base with her historic third double of the game. 

"When I talk about hitters mashing the ball, Abby is in the conversation every single day," said Fournier. "It is very cool to see her tie the SFU and GNAC records. Abby's someone you can really build a program around. Her, Jani, and Megan are some of the players who always put their best effort forward, and we can appreciate that even if we do end up on the losing side of things."

McGlynn matched Kelsey Haberl, who put her name into SFU softball history on April 19, 2012 against Northwest (Washington). McGlynn's other double on Monday came in the third. Seventeen players – including Haberl and McGlynn – now sit atop the GNAC record book with three doubles in a game.

Zagari then tied the game 5-5 with an RBI double that scored sophomore catcher Kristen Davyduke of Saskatoon. 

However, the Red Leafs could not match CWU's offensive output in the eighth. The Wildcats scored a half-dozen runs on four hits and an SFU error to go ahead 11-5. 

Duclos beat out an infield single in the bottom of the eighth to score Zagari, but Wildcats pitcher Ashlee Laver then got a fly out and a pop out to end the game.  

Duclos, McGlynn and Zagari all had three hits to lead the home side. 

CWU catcher Alyssa Benthagen drove in four runs, with three coming on an opening-inning home run. She and Harlee Carpenter had three hits apiece.
 

GAME 2 – Central Washington 10, Simon Fraser 4 (8 innings)
Monday's finale was even at 2-2 going into extra innings. 

The Wildcats took 1-0 and 2-1 leads on Benthagen home runs in the fourth and sixth. 

SFU tied the game 1-1 in the fifth on a solo home run to center field from Cassidy Affeldt (Mission, B.C.). It was the team-leading seventh home run for the rookie who played the game at third base. 

The Red Leafs leveled the score again in the fifth on a Balcaen sacrifice fly into foul territory in left field. It was her second sac fly of the day, and season.

Once again, CWU clinched a victory with a big eighth inning. The visitors recorded eight runs, six hits and five walks to go ahead 10-2. 

Duclos led off the bottom of the eighth for SFU with a single, and then moved to second on a wild pitch. She crossed home plate on a triple from Hughes, who then scored on the ensuing play, a McGlynn RBI ground out. 

McGlynn went 2-for-4 batting, including her fourth double of the day, to top the Red Leafs lineup. She ended the doubleheader with five hits. Hughes scored two runs in Game 2

Right fielder Allie Thiessen had a pair of hits and three runs batted in for the Wildcats while Benthagen had two solo home runs, two RBIs, and two walks.

Monday's contests were originally scheduled for Saturday but were rained out. The two teams will wrap up their series Tuesday with a 12 noon doubleheader at Beedie Field. Admission to the final Red Leafs home games of the 2023 season is free. SFU will host the GNAC Softball Championships, featuring the league's top four teams, May 4-6 at Beedie Field.

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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