BURNABY, B.C. – The UBC Thunderbirds softball team finished regular season play with a 9-2 loss against the Simon Fraser Clan in Burnaby, B.C., on Sunday afternoon.
 
"We came out flat today. We came back from a long layoff with the timing off and the pitchers struggling a little bit," said UBC head coach Gord Collings, whose team had not played since March 17. "We have work to do next week. I have confidence that the players will bounce back and be ready. We'll have more live pitching and situational stuff. To give SFU credit, they hit really well. They did a good job today. I was pleased with our defence, I thought they played very well."
 
The matchup was designated a home game for UBC as the Thunderbirds were originally supposed to host the matchup in Delta in March.
 
The Clan scored two runs in each of the first two innings, which ended up being enough offence for the victory.
 
The Thunderbirds got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. Centre fielder Shayla Kaplen (Richmond, B.C.) led off with a triple to right centre and eventually catcher Margarita Sison (Richmond, B.C.) brought her home on a groundout.
 
After the Clan added another run in the fifth, Kaplen knocked a single to the shortstop to score right fielder Brittany Hince Siwicki (Winnipeg) to bring UBC back to within three runs at 5-2.
 
However, the Thunderbirds couldn't muster any more offence and fell to 14-25 on the season. Kaplen led the Blue and Gold with three hits in three at-bats, a run scored and a run batted in.
 
Three players who will finish their eligibility with UBC this season, Yasmin Bains (Richmond, B.C.), Sarah Hillsdon (Langley, B.C.) and Kelly Rumley (Surrey, B.C.) were honoured in a post-game ceremony at SFU's Beedie Field.
 
"We thank SFU for what they did. I very much appreciate (head coach) Mike Renney and his players for giving us the opportunity to recognize our seniors and send them on their way. It was well done," said Collings.
 
The team will now look forward to the postseason and the Association of Independent Institutions conference championship. The three-day tournament will begin April 30 in Lawrenceville, Ga. The schedule will be announced at a later date.