College softball

GNAC tournament
Saint Martin’s 7, Simon Fraser 3

Lacey McGladrey drew a bases loaded walk and Megan Miller followed her with a bases clearing double as Saint Martin’s finally broke through with four runs in the top of the 8th inning to knock off Simon Fraser 7-3 and move into the GNAC championship game on Saturday in Billings, Montana. Miller went 2-for-5 in the game and drove in four runs and Sam Munger went 4-for-5 with an RBI.

Saint Martin’s got on the board right away when Munger scored all the way from first on an error by the Simon Fraser left fielder off of the bat of Joslyn Eugenio. But The Clan answered right back in the second inning with a lead off center field blast from Trisha Bouchard and an inning later added two runs when Munger hit Bouchard with the bases loaded and Nicole Ratel grounded out to drive in one more giving Simon Fraser a 3-1 lead.

In the top of the fifth, back-to-back singles by Miller and Munger drove in two runs to put the Saints back on level ground. Neither team could break through in the rest of the way and the game would head to extra innings.

Taviah Jenkins led off the top of the eighth inning with her third walk of the game followed by a Aubree Pocklington single and a Madi Davis walk to load the bases. McGladrey then took the base on balls to bring Jenkins in for what would turn out to be the game winning run. Miller then found a gap in left center and all three Saints scored to give them a 7-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th.

Munger, who switched back and forth throughout the game with Taylor Bakos on the mound, sent The Clan down 1-2-3 in the eighth to secure the win for the Saints. Munger pitched six innings in total striking out four batters while Bakos pitched two scoreless innings in relief.

The Saints move on to the championship game tomorrow and will face the winner of the consolation bracket game between Simon Fraser and either Western Oregon or Central Washington. The Saints will have two chances to get one win in the double elimination tournament. First pitch is set for 11:00 AM. The winner of the GNAC gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II tournament.