BURNABY, B.C. – Simon Fraser junior center fielder Megan Duclos (Saint-Eustache, Que.) has the Great Northwest Athletic Conference single-season stolen bases record all to her own.
 
In the Red Leafs' 5-4 Game 1 victory over Saint Martin's (Washington) Friday at Beedie Field, Duclos opened the bottom of the fifth inning with a single before stealing second on the next play. It was her 34th stolen base of the 2023 NCAA softball campaign, which moved her out of a tie with Western Washington's Autumn Isaacson, who stole 33 bases in 2015.
 
The visiting Saints managed a split with an 8-3 win in Friday's finale.
 
GAME 1 – Simon Fraser 5, Saint Martin's (Washington) 4
SFU sophomore right fielder Janique Balcaen (Winnipeg) lined a bases-loaded RBI single to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Red Leafs (8-29, 2-12 GNAC) the win in walkoff fashion.
 
Freshman Laura Winters (Brooklin, Ont.) led off the inning with a single up the middle before Duclos reached base via a throwing error. Duclos stole second, and freshman shortstop Amy Hughes (Brampton, Ont.) then drew an intentional walk to load the bases.
 
After going down a run, the Red Leafs took a 2-1 lead in the first inning. A double by sophomore left fielder Abby McGlynn scored Duclos to tie the score 1-1. Then Balcaen hit a single up the middle to bring home McGlynn.
 
The Saints (18-10, 5-3 GNAC) went ahead 3-2 in the fourth inning, and threatened to add to their lead in the fifth. SMU loaded the bases with no outs, forcing an SFU pitching change. Sophomore pitcher Shaneika Hollingworth (Maple Ridge, B.C.) came into the game and needed just eight pitches to get three outs – a fielder's choice sandwiched between two fly outs to center field.
 
The Red Leafs took advantage in their half of the fifth. That's when McGlynn drove a 1-2 pitch out of the park in straight-away center field for her fourth home run of the season. McGlynn's hit scored Duclos, who was at second base thanks to her record-setting stolen base, and made the score 4-3 in favour of the Red Leafs.
 
Saint Martin's tied the game 4-4 in the sixth, setting the stage for SFU's heroics in the seventh.
 
McGlynn drove in three runs for Canada's NCAA team, while Balcaen had a pair of runs batted in. Balcaen, Duclos and McGlynn recorded two hits apiece to lead the Red Leafs. Winters had the other as SFU needed just seven hits to produce five runs.
 
Hollingworth gave up a run in three innings of relief to earn the win, her third of the season.
 

 
GAME 2 – Saint Martin's (Washington) 8, Simon Fraser 3
The Saints hit three home runs in the game, and scored four times in the opening inning to earn the win.
 
Balcaen's first-inning RBI-groundout got SFU on the scoreboard, before SMU answered back with single runs in the second and third to increase its advantage to 6-1. Sophomore catcher Kristen Davyduke (Saskatoon) made it 6-2 with an RBI single to center field in the home half of the third.
 
The Red Leafs had a chance to cut into that deficit even further after getting the bases loaded with one out in the fourth. However, the Saints induced a foul out and a fielder's choice to stay in front 6-2. In the next inning, SMU's Olivia Matlock hit her second home run of the game to make it 7-1. She ended the contest with three hits, and three runs batted in.
 
The teams traded runs in the sixth to round out the scoring.
 
Sophomore designated player Avery Barker (Abbotsford, B.C.), Balcaen, Hughes, and McGlynn all had two hits for SFU, which left 11 runners on base. Hollingworth had another good performance in relief, surrendering just four hits and two runs in five innings.
 
The Red Leafs stole five bases in all on Friday, increasing the team's total to 95. The GNAC's single-season record is 105 by Humboldt State (California) in 2002.
 
Saturday's doubleheader, originally scheduled for Beedie Field at 12 noon, has been postponed with a new date to be determined.
 
SFU will have a bye week before hosting Central Washington in doubleheaders on Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23 (Senior Day) at Beedie Field.
 
TICKET PURCHASE LINKS:
APRIL 22: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-softball-vs-central-washington-university-double-header-tickets-528768419577
APRIL 23: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-softball-vs-central-washington-university-double-header-senior-day-tickets-528769793687
 
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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