The Windsor Lancers softball team clinched a playoff spot during their final homestand of the OUS regular season with a 3-1 weekend at Mic Mac Park. The blue and gold battled the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday (Sept. 27) afternoon, winning both games, and they split with the Western Mustangs on Sunday (Sept. 28).
SATURDAY
In the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday, the Guelph Gryphons came out firing and scored a run in the first inning. The Lancers immediately responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame on a
Jayde Melhuish-McGahan single. Both teams' defenses went on lockdown after the first inning, ending regulation in a 1-1 tie. The Gryphons scored in the top of the eighth inning in international tiebreaker, but the Lancers responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth to win. The runs came off of singles from Melhuish-McGahan and
Lauren Hickey and a walk-off walk from
Jacqueline Pento to win the game. Melhuish-McGahan earned the win from the mound, allowing just six hits and one run over eight innings of work.
The second game began a lot like the first with both teams striking early to tie it up 1-1 in the first few innings. The early Lancer run came in the top of the first inning with
Cylee Hickey singling and a Gryphon error to cash the run. The blue and gold regained their lead in the fourth inning with an RBI single from
Allison Dufour. Guelph once again evened up the score the very next inning to tie the game at two apiece. The Lancers did not want to go to extra innings again and fought back in the final inning with singles from
Tia Bellaire,
Allison Dufour, and
Jen Dufour as well as a Gryphon error on a hit from
Emma Hanley to cash two runs and give the Lancers the 4-2 win.
Allison Dufour started the game, giving up two earned runs over five innings of work while
Chloe Jones came in relief to earn the win, giving up three hits and zero runs over the final two innings.
SUNDAY
On Sunday morning, the top-ranked Western Mustangs came down the 401 anxious to defend first place in the West Division. The Mustangs cashed a run in the bottom of the second inning and the Lancers immediately responded with a run of their own on a sacrifice fly from
Emma Hanley to even the game at one. Western's offense came alive in the fourth inning to take a significant lead over the blue and gold, but the Lancers fought back to get one more run on singles from Hanley and
Ella Duncan-Reda and a fielder's choice from Ally Dufour. The attempted comeback fell short and the Mustangs won game one by a score of 6-2.
Between games, the Lancers celebrated their graduating seniors
Breanna Lee,
Jen Dufour,
Ella Duncan-Reda, and
Lauren Hickey as well as their super-seniors
Cylee Hickey and
Allison Dufour.
The second game of the doubleheader started with a bang for the blue and gold as Melhuish-McGahan hit a solo home run on the second pitch of the game. Western responded in the fourth and fifth innings with runs of their own to go up 5-1. The Lancers did not go down without a fight as they strung together a fantastic five-run seventh inning to win the game and split with the top-ranked Mustangs. The comeback came from Melhuish-McGahan drawing a walk, singles from Hanley, Jones, Pento, and
Soleen DePape as well as a double from Duncan-Reda. Melhuish-McGahan earned the win from the mound, giving up six hits and five runs (two earned) over seven innings.
UP NEXT
After winning three of four games on the weekend, the Lancers now hold a 9-7 (W-L) record and have clinched a berth in the OUS playoffs.
Next weekend, the blue and gold travel to Western and Laurier to close out the OUS regular season in London, Ont, and Waterloo, Ont., respectively. The Lancers play the Mustangs on Saturday, October 4 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and the Golden Hawks at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 5. Tune into Game Changer to cheer them on!
