Friday, May 4, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – The GNAC Softball Championships final will feature two brand new teams as No. 3 Simon Fraser advanced to Saturday’s championship game with a 6-3 win over No. 4 seed Western Oregon Friday at Porter Park.

The Clan broke open a 2-2 with a three-run fourth inning, two of which scored on Alex Ogg’s two-out double. Simon Fraser finished with a tournament-high 11 hits in the game.

Chelsea Hotner led the SFU offense as she went 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI. Ogg and Victoria Saunders each finished with two hits with Ogg hitting a pair of double. The offense backed up another complete-game performance by Alia Stachoski, who allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits and struck out three as she improved to 15-11 on the season.

With the victory, Simon Fraser (21-18) earns the right to face tournament No. 1 seed Northwest Nazarene in the championship final, which begins on Saturday at noon. Western Oregon sees its season end with a 28-25 record.

Jenna Kelly led Western Oregon offensively, going 2 for 3. Haley Fabian took the pitching loss for the Wolves, allowing five runs, four earned, on nine hits with one strikeout in four innings.

After a scoreless first inning, the two teams traded runs in the second and third. The Clan opened scoring in the top of the second when Chelsea Hotner reached on a two-out double and scored on a double-steal attempt that ended with Katherine Murnaghan being called out at second. Chandler Bishop took the run back for the Wolves in the home half, launching a home run over the left field wall.

Taylor Gillis put Simon Fraser ahead 2-1 in the top of the third when she reached on a fielder’s choice, advanced to second on an error and scoring on a single by Taylor Lundrigan. Ryanne Huffman reached on an error with one out for the Wolves in the bottom of the third, stole third and scored on Nicole Miller’s sacrifice fly.

The Clan then broke the game open with a three-run two-out rally in the fourth. Muraghan started it when she reached on a fielder’s choice. Saunders followed with a single and Gillis drove both home with her double to left-center field. Gillis then traded places with Ogg on her double down the left field line.

The Clan added a run in the sixth inning as Lundrigan led off with a single and eventually scored on Hotner’s double down the right-field line. Tyler Creach took one run back in the bottom of the fifth as she crushed her first collegiate home run over the center field wall.