Western improved its record to 18-0 with a pair of wins vs Queen's on Senior Day Sunday. Between games of the double header Senior, tri-captains Tara Cress, Michelle Reynolds, and Melanie Smith were honoured on the occasion of their last homestand. These quality student athletes have won both Provincial and National Softball titles in each of their years at Western, all are multiple individual softball award recipients, and each will graduate with her degree next May. 
 
In game one vs Queen's, Rachael Jacques struck out 14 in a complete game seven hitter.  It was the eighth win of the season against no loses for the sophomore.  Fittingly, Michelle Reynolds scored in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Shannon Davidson and the Mustangs added two more in the second when senior Tara Cress tripled scoring Riley Cunningham and later when Cress crossed the plate herself on an RBI single by her sister, Alana.  However, in the top of the third, Queen's narrowed the lead to 3-2 with two runs of its own on a two out, RBI triple by Sarah Thompson, adding the second run moments later when Thompson scored on a wild pitch.
 
Western went back to work and built an 8-2 lead with one run in the fourth inning and four in the fifth.  Alana Cress doubled in the fourth plating Alex Crane who had walked.  In the fifth, Courtney Reynolds singled, followed with three straight RBI doubles by Robyn Wood, Smith and Cunningham, and then a sacrifice fly by Tara Cress.  Not to be outdone, a scrappy Gaels squad battled back with two runs in the top half of the sixth on a two-run double by Jenna Bolton, narrowing the score to 8-4 but thy could not get any closer.  In the sixth, the purple and white added an insurance run when a Davidson single scored Courtney Reynolds who had doubled. 
 
In game two, Smith picked up four RBI on four hits for the Mustangs, including a home run. Freshman pitcher Jaymie Mailloux recorded the win and freshman Sara Contini got the save for Western.  The Mustangs never trailed in this one, scoring two runs in the first, two in the second, one in each of the third and fourth, four in the fifth, and two more in the sixth but again Queen's made it interesting scoring three in the third to bring the score to 5-4 and four more in the fifth making it a 10-8 game before Western's two run sixth completed the 12-8 Mustang win.  
 
Western's Emma Parno hit a sacrifice fly and Cunningham hit an RBI single in the first.  In the second, Smith hit her two run homerun scoring Lauren Sovereign who had singled.  In the third, Parno scored again this time on an error and in the fourth Davidson delivered a monster solo homerun over the right field fence.  In the fifth, Kristin Roy, Jayme Wells, Michele Reynolds, and Smith all scored and in the sixth Smith singled in Michelle Reynolds and Davidson drove in freshman Delaney Spencer with a single to complete the scoring.  Parno added a triple in the seventh.
 
On Friday night, the Mustangs jumped out to early leads on Waterloo capturing 11-0 and 8-0 victories.  In game one, Western scored six runs in the first three innings and cruised home.

An RBI single by Wood in inning one and a two-run triple by freshman, Holly Perry, an error, and an RBI single by Wood in the second inning got the Mustangs going early.  Wood and Davidson went three for three at the plate.  Davidson had a single, a double, and a triple while Woods had two singles, a double, and four RBI.  Parno added two hits.  Jacques got the win in the circle allowing just two hits and striking out nine. 
 
Game two against Waterloo was also decided quickly as the Mustangs plated five runs in the first three innings.  An RBI double by Parno, a single by Sovereign, and an RBI triple by Alana Cress got the offence started.  Cunningham, Parno and both Cress sisters had multi-hit games.  Cunningham and Alana Cress hit triples, Parno a double, and Tara Cress recorded two doubles and three RBI.  Davidson launched another bomb over the right field fence.
 
Freshman Sara Contini pitched a one hitter, walked none, and struck out 10 in the win.
 
Next action for the Mustangs is the National Championship at Durham College in Oshawa, October 9-11.  Western enters the tournament as the four-time defending champions and as the only undefeated team.  In round robin action, the Mustangs will play the University of Calgary Dinos at noon on Friday, Oshawa's Durham College at 2 p.m. on Friday, and Windsor's St Clair College at 10 a.m. Saturday.  The other pool includes Laurier University, the University of Regina Cougars (losers of just one game in 2015), the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, and the Conestoga College Condors.  Crossover playoffs start Saturday and continue Sunday with the Championship game scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday   

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