SASKATOON - It took extra innings, but the Durham College women's softball team opened the Canadian Collegiate Softball Association (CCSA) championship with a walk-off win over the host Saskatchewan Huskies.

Due to the snow in western Canada, the games were forced inside as the first day of the championship was played in a dome.

After opening with a run in the bottom of the first, scored by Sabrina Stalteri (Vaughan, Ont.), the Durham Lords carried their one-run lead to the sixth inning.

Saskatchewan scored a pair in the top half of the inning to go ahead 2-1, but Jaimie Clarke (Elmvale, Ont.) drove in Melissa McKnight (Brampton, Ont.) to tie the game again in the bottom of six.

The seventh was run-less, but in the bottom of the eighth Alanna Stanoev (Whitby, Ont.) advanced to second to lead off the inning. A hit by McKnight scored Stanoev to give Durham its first victory of the championship.

Ashley Black (Waterloo, Ont.) threw the complete game, allowing only one earned run on six hits and a walk. She struck out six Huskie batters over eight innings.

Kailey Strouts struck out 11 Lords, but allowed three earned runs on five hits and a walk.

In their second game of the day against the University of Calgary Dinos, the Lords were on the winning side of another one-run game.

Again, playing as the home team, Durham scored in the bottom of the first inning to go ahead 1-0.

Calgary tied the game with a single run in the top of the fourth, but in the sixth the Lords answered as Rebecca Ropp (Milverton, Ont.) brought Stalteri home from third with an RBI single.

Sarah Pesonen (Mississauga, Ont.) shut the door in the seventh as she picked up the complete game victory, allowing only one earned run on five hits, while striking out two.

Clarke and Ropp each had RBIs for Durham, while Stalteri was 1-for-1 with two runs scored and two walks.

Haley Acton was the losing pitcher for Calgary, allowing two earned runs on three hits, while striking out 10.

Durham will wrap up round-robin play at 12:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. CT) on Saturday against the St. Clair Saints. Quarter-finals will be played tomorrow afternoon, with semifinals scheduled for Sunday morning.

Source: Durham College

Photo Credit: Allan Fournier