By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – Sweeping its way to the top of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference softball standings was the best imaginable outcome for Simon Fraser University on the opening weekend of league play.
The Red Leafs did just that, defending their home field to the tune of a four-game sweep of Montana State Billings. The lone team to emerge with an unblemished conference record after the opening round of games, SFU was selected as the Athletic Solutions GNAC Team of the Week on Monday.
After a narrow 2-1 win in the series opener, the SFU bats came alive as it went on to claim victories of 9-1, 9-4 and 7-4 the rest of the weekend. SFU averaged 6.75 runs per game while limiting the Yellowjackets to just 10 runs total (2.5 per game) across the series. After what was a tough start during non-conference play, SFU improved its record to 6-20 on the year and a perfect 4-0 mark in league contests.
“This is exactly the boost we needed after a tough pre-season schedule where we felt our record didn’t show who we really are as a team,” said SFU head coach
Stacy Fournier. “Coming into the conference season, we emphasized that everyone’s 0-0 and our athletes really bought into that. Kudos to them for being able to turn the page quickly, learn from our pre-season, and come out firing on all cylinders.”
The Red Leafs relied on their ace
Monica Bourque to come out on top in what turned out to be a pitcher’s duel to open the series. The junior right-hander twirled seven stellar innings, striking out seven while issuing just one walk, scattering six hits and limiting the Yellowjackets to a single run. A home run by
Lizzy Sugrive and a defensive miscue by the Yellowjackets proved to be all the offense SFU needed to claim the victory.
Ace Monica Bourque (right) won a pitcher's duel and her battery mate Lizzy Sugrive (left) homered to fuel a 2-1 win.
Bourque has been a rock in the SFU rotation since her debut in 2024, pitching her way to second-team all-GNAC after leading the conference with 115 strikeouts last spring. She is off to a comparable start through her first 13 games of the year, ranking second in the league with 71 strikeouts. Overall in three seasons, Bourque holds a 3.15 career ERA with 226 strikeouts in 311 innings pitched.
SFU’s offense came to life towards the end of Friday’s doubleheader, breaking a 1-1 tie in the third inning by scoring eight unanswered runs to complete the day one sweep in run-rule fashion.
Cassidy Affeldt, a first-team all-GNAC pick last year, homered and drove in four runs during the onslaught 9-1 win. That took the pressure off freshman right-hander
Avery Rust, who earned her first collegiate victory by holding MSUB to one run on three hits in her five innings of work.
SFU trailed for only one half-inning during a dominant day two performance to seal the series. A three-run second inning and four-run fourth inning in game three were the key frames of offense, as SFU managed to score in bunches behind another Bourque complete game.
The Red Leafs fell behind 2-0 after the top of the first in the series finale but scored the next six runs across the next three innings to take the lead for good. This time SFU used small ball to its advantage with five of those runs scoring on ground balls and the other coming on a sacrifice fly.
Lauren Lugtigheid was a catalyst atop the SFU lineup all series, hitting .625 and going a perfect 4-for-4 in the stolen base department. She leads the team on the season with a .402 average, a .490 on-base percentage and a line of 15-for-17 in stolen bases. Affeldt’s five home runs and 24 RBIs are most on the squad, while
Makena Simmons is slugging a team-best .575 with eight doubles, two triples and a pair of long balls to go with a .350 batting average.
Cassidy Affeldt, a first-team all-GNAC pick in 2025, has a team-high five homers this spring.
“We talked a lot about finding a way to be more consistent and bouncing back when things don’t go our way on one side of the ball, and we did that throughout this weekend,” Fournier said on her team completing the sweep. “Our defense was the best it’s looked, we had hitters stepping up in big moments and taking advantage of defensive miscues and our pitchers gave us a chance to win.”
The 2025 GNAC co-Coach of the Year, Fournier is now in her fourth season leading the Red Leafs. Last year’s GNAC Championships runner-up, SFU will look to keep its winning ways going this week with a tough road test to Northwest Nazarene (21-10, 1-3 GNAC). “Overall, we played grittier, more confident softball and I know the team is excited and energized to continue the conference schedule with a big test this weekend,” Fournier said.
GNAC Team of the Week presented by Athletic Solutions
Athletic Solutions was introduced as an official partner of the GNAC on Dec. 8, 2025 and it will sponsor the GNAC Team of the Week award. Athletic Solutions is a national leader in NIL fan engagement and e-commerce technology, collaborating with colleges and universities to bring NIL Locker Rooms to life. Its platform simplifies NIL opportunities, providing student-athletes with the tools and exposure needed to thrive in the evolving landscape of college athletics.