The University of Windsor Lancers softball team opened their 2026 season with three wins in four games in Cobourg, Ont.
The Lancers began their season with a 2-0 win over the Queen's Gaels on Saturday (Sep. 12), a game in which
Jayde Melhuish-McGahan led the way on both sides of the ball. The OUS all-star from last season pitched a complete game shutout, throwing seven innings and striking out seven while surrendering just one baserunner, a single in the seventh with one out. Melhuish-McGahan went 1-for-2 at the plate with a walk.
Emma Hanley and
Soleen DePape drove in the two Lancer runs.
Windsor fell 3-1 to the Ottawa Gee-Gees in their second game on Saturday despite outhitting Ottawa 7-3.
Sienna Gale and
Elise Stammler had two hits each.
Grace Shackleton started on the mound and pitched three innings, allowing three unearned runs while striking out three. Melhuish-McGahan came on in relief and shut down the Gee-Gees for the final four innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out three.
On Sunday (Sep. 13), the Lancers outscored their opponents 27-5 in two games. The first game featured a 9-1 win over the York Lions, as
Chloe Jones went 2-for-3 with three RBI and Gale drove in two more. Jones earned the win with 3.1 innings pitched, surrendering just one run in that time. Melhuish-McGahan continued her impressive weekend with 1.2 scoreless innings while striking out two to pick up the save.
The Lancers closed out the weekend with a dominating 18-4 win over the Waterloo Warriors in a five-inning game that included a six-run second inning and a nine-run fifth. Stammler led the offence with three hits, including a double, and three runs and three RBI, followed by two hits and an RBI from Melhuish-McGahan and 2-RBI games from
Tia Nelson,
Ava Merritt,
Kyra Smith, and Jones. Shackleton picked up the win with three innings of one-run ball, and Melhuish-McGahan closed out her second game of the day with two scoreless innings.
The Lancers open their season at home on Saturday, September 19 at Mic Mac Park with a doubleheader against the Laurier Golden Hawks at 2 and 4 p.m.
