The Simon Fraser University softball team played their final two games before the Great Northwest Athletic Conference playoffs notching a pair of 11-3 victories over the University of Great Falls Argonauts in non-conference play on Monday.
"It was a good tune-up for the conference championship," said SFU head coach Mike Renney. "It was a great opportunity for us to get some live pitching for our hitters but also to get some of our non-starters some work. I was pleased we got to play the bench and get two good results."
Kelsie Hawkins started game one for the Clan and went three innings, allowing three runs on five hits with three strikeouts.
After the third inning and leading 5-3, Hawkins gave way to Cara Lukawesky, who came on in relief, pitching three shutout innings, allowing just four hits.
The Clan bats exploded for 13 hits in the opening game.
Carly Lepoutre went two-for-three at the plate in the game with two runs batted in and three runs scored while Kaitlyn Cameron and Danielle Raison each went two-for-two. Cameron scored two runs and drove in one, while Raison drove in two and also scored.
Rachel Proctor went two-for-four in the game with two RBIs and a run scored for the Clan, while Nicole Ratel, who ended the first game on Saturday against Montana State University Billings with a walk-off grand slam, had the only home run of the game.
The Clan had a 3-0 lead after the first inning. SFU would score two more in the third. SFU went on to win the mercy-shortened affair 11-3 in six innings.
Lukawesky started in game two, throwing an inning and a third, allowing one run on two hits and striking out three.
She was relieved by Mackenzie Bender, who pitched four and two-thirds innings, allowing seven hits and two runs while also striking out three.
Raison went three-for-three in the game with two runs scored and four RBIs, including a home run.
Lepoutre went two-for-three in game two, scoring three runs and Stephanie Caron scored twice, going one-for-three at the plate.
The Clan jumped out to an early lead, scoring five runs in the first two innings of game. It was 8-0 after the top of the third before the Argonauts got on the board with a pair of runs in their half of the third inning. The two teams held each other off the scoreboard in the fourth and fifth before the Clan tacked on three more runs in the sixth.
The Clan won again 11-3, this time pumping out 11 hits.
With the sweep, the Clan finish the regular season with a record of 27-21, after wrapping up conference play on Saturday with a record of 15-9, finishing third in the Great Northwest conference.
The conference playoffs get underway on Thursday in Billings, Montana, where the Clan face second-seeded Western Oregon.
