|
SFU softball women No. 2 seed at Decater nationals
Simon Fraser University's women's softball team became the first to qualify for the NAIA national tournament, winning the Region 1 championship final 11-5 over Southern Oregon in Portland, Friday.
Junior Ali Cavigilia pounded a three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to help the defending NAIA champions to their third consecutive national championship.
The Clan scored nine runs in the final two innings to overtake Southern Oregon. Cavigilia's two-out dinger over the centre field fence, her fifth of the season, ensured the No. 2-ranked Clan a spot in the 20-team national tourney May 21 to 26 in Decatur, Alabama.
Erin Thomas ran her season record to 25-1 to record the complete-game victory.
Thomas, last year's tournament MVP, has a 1.11 earned run average this season.
SFU had 16 hits against SOU, with Burnaby's Erin Gee going three-for-five.
The Clan advanced to the regional final with a 4-1 win over SOU on Hayley Remple's second homer of the afternoon.
Remple whacked a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth and then sent a solo dinger into centre field later in the game.
SFU won its opening game 12-0 over Eastern Oregon with seven runs in the second inning and four more in the third. Remple, Kim Rossiter and Cavigilia all homered in the game. Gee went three-for-four at the plate.
Simon Fraser has won the national title twice, last year and in 1999. They have also finished runner-up in 1998 and 2001 and third on two other occasions.
The 32-2 Clan will take a 26-game win streak into the double-elimination national tournament.
Thomas University of Georgia, at 47-3, is the No. 1-ranked seed in the NAIA.
|
