BILLINGS, Mont. – Home runs by
Abby McGlynn and
Kristen Davyduke propelled SFU Red Leafs to a 10-5 win over Montana State University Billings softball team on the final day of Great Northwest Athletic Conference play Sunday.
SFU will host the GNAC Softball Championships, which begin on Thursday at Beedie Field, featuring Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin's, Western Washington and Western Oregon in the three-day double-elimination tournament. The winner receives the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.
MSUB (18-28, 10-14 GNAC) picked up a 6-4 victory over the Red Leafs (11-36, 5-19 GNAC) in game one, before falling 10-5 in the finale.
SFU's
Megan Duclos had two stolen bases in each game to add to her GNAC individual single-season record of 43 stolen bases in 45 attempts. As a team, SFU finished the season with 104 stolen bases in 113 attempts, just short of the GNAC stolen bases record of 105 set in 2002.
Game 2: SFU 10 MSUB 5
With a Yellowjackets berth in the GNAC Championships on the line, the Red Leafs came out ready to play spoiler. Simon Fraser tacked on three runs in the top of the third inning after a scoreless opening two innings to take the lead. After the Yellowjackets tied the game in their half of the third, Simon Fraser added six runs in the fourth inning, taking a 9-3 lead.
The fourth inning was highlighted by a Davyduke three-run blast over the left field fence, her eighth home run of the season.
Janique Balcaen had a single to centre field that scored two runs earlier in the fourth inning.
McGlynn completed the scoring with a solo shot to left-centre in the sixth. It was her seventh home run of the season.
Nevada Johnson pitched four innings in relief of
Shaneika Hollingworth and picked up her third win of the season. The pair combined to give up 13 hits with two strikeouts.
Game 1: SFU 4 MSUB 6
MSUB held a 2-1 lead until the top of the sixth when an RBI double from
Janique Balcaen would even the score.
That would set up a highly contested seventh inning. Simon Fraser scored two runs in the inning on a throwing error to first base, sending both runners home when the ball went out of play.
MSUB scored four runs on three hits and one error in the bottom of the inning for the win.
Julia Hansen went the distance for SFU on the mound giving up 11 hits while striking out three.
#RepTheLeaf