The Durham Lords won their second consecutive Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women’s Fastball Championship on Saturday afternoon, topping the underdog Mohawk Mountaineers, 2-0, in the gold medal game of the Fall Classic.

It marks OCAA Championship title No. 14 and the Lords fifth in six years for the most accomplished women’s fastball program in the OCAA.

Mohawk and Durham were both playing strong defensively as the two teams had played three scoreless innings, with both starting pitchers, Danielle Smith of the Lords and Jenny Koschanow of the Mountaineers throwing no-hitters.

In the home half of the fourth, the heart of the Lords lineup opened up the scoring as Amanda Ellison and Danielle Smith produced a pair of RBI’s to take a 2-0 lead. The Mountaineers prevented Smith from recording an inside the park homerun as they made a beautiful relay to throw out Smith at home.

The two teams went scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, heading into the seventh and final inning with Durham holding on to the two-run advantage. Mohawk was able to finally generate an offensive attack, putting the tying run on first base. With two outs, Casey Ramey made solid contact with the ball hitting it deep into centre field, but Lords veteran fielder Amanda Ellison, who got a good jump on the ball, settled under it and caught it for the final out. That put the hometown crowd into a frenzy, as the Lords players and coaches stormed onto the field.

Danielle Smith, who picked up her second win of the Championship, was recognized as the Championship Most Valuable Player. In the gold medal game, Smith was magnificent on the mound pitching a complete game shut-out allowing only two Mohawk hits.

Smith’s counterpart Jenny Koschanow of Mohawk, threw every pitch in Mohawk’s four games of the Championship. For her performance over the two days, she was recognized the Championship’s Top Pitcher. In the gold medal game, Koschanow allowed two runs on three hits in the complete game loss.

Head coach of the Lords Jim Nemish, who picked up his eleventh OCAA Championship as the Durham Lords Manager, proudly noted that his team worked extremely hard throughout the entire season and really came together as a team to win the provincial Championship. The Lords finished the season on a twelve game winning streak, after dropping their season opener to the St. Clair Saints 2-1.

The Mohawk Mountaineers advanced to the gold medal game after defeating the regular season champion St. Clair Saints 6-2 earlier in the day. The silver medal by Mohawk in marks their 10th consecutive medal at the OCAA Women’s Fastball Championship.

Friday, October 19, 2007
Game 1: Durham 5 vs. Conestoga 1
Players of the Game: Vanessa Chaborek, Durham
Players of the Game: Jen Morris, Conestoga

Game 2: St. Clair 4 vs. Mohawk 0
Players of the Game: Candice Gatecliffe, St. Clair
Players of the Game: Michelle James, Mohawk

Game 3: Conestoga 3 vs. Mohawk 4
Players of the Game: Jenny Koschanow, Mohawk
Players of the Game: Laura Matheson, Conestoga

Game 4: Durham 4 vs. St. Clair 3 (Extra Innings)
Players of the Game: Danielle Smith, Durham
Players of the Game: Kandice Bagely, St. Clair

Bronze Medal Game: Mohawk 6 vs. St. Clair 2
Players of the Game: Sam Tubman, Mohawk
Players of the Game: Keri Bagely, St. Clair
*St. Clair awarded the Bronze Medal

Gold Medal Game: Durham 2 vs. Mohawk 0
Players of the Game: Amanda Ellison, Durham
Players of the Game: Nicole Miller, Mohawk

CHAMPIONSHIP MVP: Danielle Smith, Durham
CHAMPIONSHIP TOP PITCHER: Jenny Koschanow, Mohawk