MONMOUTH, Ore. – For the second consecutive day, the Western Oregon University softball team dropped the first game of a doubleheader before bouncing back with a comeback victory to earn a series split with Simon Fraser University.
 
WOU's first comeback in Sunday's opener fell short as the Clan won 5-4 while late runs in the afternoon paced the Wolves to a 6-4 win.
 
With the split, Western Oregon improved to 18-19 overall and 8-8 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action. Simon Fraser moves to 24-20 overall and 10-12 in league play.
 
Game One: Simon Fraser 5, Western Oregon 4
Heavy SFU offense and defensive WOU miscues told the early tale in the opening game of the doubleheader. The Clan scored three times in the opening frame on three hits while taking advantage of three errors from the Wolves in the second inning to take a 5-2 lead. The Wolves stayed close in the first with a two-run homer from Destiny Kuehl.
 
The comeback effort fell short as the Wolves trailed 5-3 entering the final frame. Zoe Clark pulled the Wolves within a run with a two-out single to left field. After a walk loaded the bases, Lexi Jennings hit a hard line drive that found the glove of the SFU shortstop to end the game.
 
Alyson Boytz took the loss in a complete-game effort, allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out three. Alia Stachowski recorded the win for SFU while Tori Belton closed out the game for her sixth save of the year.
 
GAME TWO – Western Oregon 6, Simon Fraser 4
The Wolves put the game one loss behind them and an early deficit to earn the doubleheader split.
 
WOU reached double-digits in the hits column for the 14^th time this season, tallying 12 hits, including 11 singles and one home run.
 
Kelsie Gardner and Kuehl each had three hits while Jennings added two hits for WOU.
 
Sammi Cadwallader earned the win (6-2) in the circle throwing six innings of relief, allowing two runs on three hits. Haley Fabian pitched a flawless seventh innings with a pair of strikeouts to earn the club's first save of the season.
 
After surrendering two runs in the opening frame, Jennings and Brandy Knowles had run-scoring singles to tie the game. The Wolves took their first lead of the day on Kuehl's second home run of the day in the third inning, a solo shot to center field.
 
Simon Fraser brought home an equalizing run in the top half of the fourth, but the Wolves had the answer with four singles in the fifth. Kuehl and Jennings each sent base hits back up the middle to score two runs. Insurance came in the bottom of the sixth after Ryanne Huffman singled with two outs and Gardner followed with a single. During the next at-bat, a pitch from Belton bounced in front of the plate and off the shin guard of the catcher into the air nearly 10 feet. As the ball bounded to the backstop, Huffman had enough time to round third base and score on the wild pitch.
 
Fabian needed only nine pitches to get a pair of strikeouts and a foul out to close out the WOU victory.
 
Western Oregon will begin a four-game series with Montana State Billings on Monday at 2 p.m. at WOU Softball Field.