VANCOUVER – Four runs batted in from second baseman
Tayla Westgard (Surrey, BC) were not enough for the UBC softball team on Wednesday as the Thunderbirds fell 6-5 in eight innings to the Simon Fraser Clan in Burnaby.
BOX SCORE
With two outs and a runner on third in the bottom of the eighth, SFU's Lauren Kolanko knocked a single up the middle to score the winning run.
The Clan tallied twice in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game after UBC had plated two runs to go up 5-3 in the top of that inning.
With two runners in scoring position, Westgard singled to score
Yasmin Bains (Richmond, BC) from second base and
Alana Westerhof (Delta, BC) from third. That gave UBC its only lead of the game. The 'Birds were aided by two Clan errors in the top of the fifth, and four overall.
UBC was down 3-0 going into the top of the fourth but brought three runners across home plate to tie the game.
Rookie catcher
Leanne Jung (Richmond, BC), who came in to replace an injured
Lindsay McElroy (Delta, BC) in the first, was hit by a pitch to open the fourth. Two batters later, Bains doubled to centre field to put two in scoring position. Westgard took advantage of the opportunity by clubbing a double to centre field for the first two of her four RBI's. Later in the inning,
Carlyn Shimizu (Richmond, BC) singled to left field where the SFU player committed an error, allowing Westgard to score and Shimizu to get to second.
That accounted for all of UBC's offence, even though the Thunderbirds got runners into scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings. UBC stranded nine runners while SFU left 12 on base.
Reliever
Nicole Day (Surrey, BC) was tagged with the loss (6-7) after giving up three runs in 4.2 innings. Starter
Leigh Della Siega (Surrey, BC) threw the first three innings, surrendering three runs, two of which were earned.
T-Birds' rightfielder Shimizu went 3-for-5 from the plate and also recorded an RBI.
UBC finishes its regular season schedule with a record of 23-19. The team won its season series with SFU 2-1, recording its first-ever victories against the Clan.
The Thunderbirds will now begin preparations for the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) softball championship, beginning May 1 in Victoria, Texas. The two finalists will advance to an NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round Tournament.
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