Welcome to our Heat Competitive Sports Club weekend recap where we'll look back at the results for our softball and men's rugby teams.
MEN'S RUGBY
The Heat started off the season with a pair of victories on the road in Calgary, including retaining the Hindson Cup, awarded each year to the winner of the match between UBCO and the Dinos.
UBCO opened their first weekend of the year with a hard-fought 37-31 win over Calgary.
The Heat got the game off on the right foot, taking a 10-0 lead before Calgary responded to grab a 14-10 advantage.
The game continued back and forth between the two rivals before UBCO pulled away late for the victory.
Jean-Louis Desgouttes of Hong Kong, led the way for UBCO with a try while also hitting all four of his conversions and three penalty kicks. Other tries came from Zachary Brimmage of St. Albert, Alta., Jackson Croze of Surrey, B.C., and Daniel Kilian of Penticton, B.C.
Defensively, Finn Hussey of Kelowna, B.C., led the way with eight tackles while Patrick Williams Essex, England, had nine carries in to contact on offence.
On Sunday, the Heat took on the Mount Royal Cougars and dominated the entire game, winning 56-12.
Jef Vreys of Kelowna, B.C., and Mees Van Haeff of Chilliwack, B.C., led the scoring charge with a pair of tries each while Desgouttes, Hussey, Mukhtar Abdsalami of Calgary and RJ Stone of Kelowna, B.C., added singles.
Hussey was also another standout on defence with 11 tackles while Williams once again led the way with eight carries into contact.
The Heat will return to Kelowna for their lone regular season game on home turf this weekend when they host the Alberta Golden Bears beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Nonis Sports Field.
SOFTBALL
The Heat wrapped up their 2023 regular season at their home diamond this weekend as they played five games at High Noon Park, posting a 3-1-1 record.
While UBCO saw their undefeated mark come to a close, a pair of crucial wins over the Calgary Dinos, by scores of 3-2 and 8-5, allowed the Heat to secure first place in the Western Collegiate Softball Association (WCSA) conference with a 19-1-1 mark. That record is also good enough for the best-ever in a single season in program history.
Along with their wins over Calgary, the Heat also earned a win and a tie against the Lethbridge Pronghorns with scores of 6-5 and 7-7, while dropping a narrow 7-6 result to the Victoria Vikes.
Fourth-year pitcher Mikhaela Muir of Okotoks, Alta., was the star of the show for the Heat this weekend. She earned a win and a save, pitching 12 and a third innings, while allowing only one earned run and striking out 20 batters. She added one hit and a walk in six plate appearances.
Other highlights for the Heat included:
-Outfielder Bella Green of Penticton, B.C., picking up four hits and an RBI as the Heat rallied from three runs down in the final inning to tie Lethbridge
-Third baseman Cheyenne Simicak of Surrey, B.C., going 3-for-3 with a homerun to key a four-run sixth inning in the Heat's 8-5 win over the Dinos
-Third baseman Taryn Lamb of Kelowna, B.C., picking up two hits and an RBI in the Heat's 6-5 win over the Pronghorns
The Heat will now head to Calgary for the WCSA Championship weekend which gets underway on Saturday, September 30. UBCO will be in a pool with the SAIT Trojans, the Regina Cougars and the Victoria Vikes with the top two teams advancing to the medal round.
Stay tuned to GoHeat.ca for the complete weekend results.