Saints Wrap Up Day 1 of CCSA National Championship with 2-0 Record

Windsor, ON – Day 1 of the CCSA Softball National Championship is in the books at the St. Clair College SportsPlex Diamond and Acumen Stadium, where the host Saints squad finished the day one of the tournament with a 2-0 record and now eye top spot in the pool on Saturday morning. Each team played 2 games on Friday to kickoff the tournament and will have one remaining game on Saturday to wrap up pool play before the elimination round begins on Saturday afternoon. Eight total games were played between the two diamonds at the state-of-the-art St. Clair College outdoor SportsPark, with ¼ final play commencing on Saturday afternoon.

University of British Columbia Okanagan vs. University of Toronto

Game #1 featured the defending CCSA Champions UBC Okanagan (UBCO) taking on the Toronto Varsity Blues on the SportsPark Diamond. UBCO hung a crooked number in the first inning, taking a 3-0 lead after 1 before adding another in the 2^nd inning to take a 4-0 lead. The Varsity Blues got one back in the 6^th inning but that's all their offense could muster as UBCO took the first game of the tournament 4-1. UBCO's Mikhaela Muir (Okotoks, AB) pitched a complete game, scattering 7 hits over the 7 innings and allowing 1 run while recording 7 strikeouts. Muir earned the win and Player of the Game honors for UBCO. Amelia Collet (Seattle, WA) went 2-4 for the Varsity Blues as she was named Player of the Game for Toronto.

University of Western Ontario vs. University of Calgary

Game #2 highlighted two USPORT programs as the Western Mustangs competed against the Calgary Dinos on the first ever softball game held at Acumen Stadium. This was a pitcher's duel from the onset, with both Emma Stephens (Lloydminster, SK) of Calgary and Aimee Leduc (Princeton, ON) of Western pitching a shutout through 6 innings. Leduc pitched another scoreless inning in the top of the 7^th, giving her team a chance to walk off the Dino's in the bottom of the frame. The bats for Western finally woke up and provided the only run of the game courtesy of a Megan Hamilton (Glencoe, ON) walk off RBI single for the 1-0 Mustangs victory. Both Stephens and Leduc were named Players of the Game for their respective teams after a dazzling display of pitching. Leduc also picked up the win for the Mustangs as they moved to 1-0 for the tournament.

Humber College vs. University of Ottawa

Game #3 brought the Humber Hawks to Acumen Stadium to take on the Ottawa Gee Gees. Humber wasted no time getting settled into the tournament as their offense came out and scored 7 runs in the top of the first inning to take an early stranglehold on the game and they never looked back. Ottawa struggled to generate much offense as they were only able to muster 1 run over the shortened 5 inning game, as Humber defeated the Gee Gees 9-0 in 6 innings. Humber pitcher Cheyenne Sears (Cambridge, ON) earned the victory and Player of the Game honours with a dominant performance on the mound, giving up 1 hit over the 5 innings and striking out 4 hitters. For Ottawa, 3B Amber Weese (Napanee, ON) collected the lone hit for the Gee Gees, earning her the Player of the Game for the Gee Gees.

St. Clair College vs. University of Toronto

Game #4 had the host and hometown darling St. Clair Saints take the field as they opened up their tournament against the Toronto Varsity Blues. The Saints immediately applied pressure with a clean 3 up, 3 down top of the 1^st inning before scoring 5 runs in the bottom half. The Saints offense continued to pile on, adding 3 more in the 2^nd to take an 8-0 lead. Toronto got 1 run back in the top of the 3^rd thanks to an RBI single from SS Madison Espinola (Mississauga, ON), who was named Player of the Game for the Blues. For the Saints, 1B Amy Claydon (Cambridge, ON) went 3-3 with three 2B, three runs, and four RBI to earn herself Player of the Game for St. Clair

University of Western Ontario vs. Humber College

Game #5 showcased a battle between the Western Mustangs and the Humber Hawks at Acumen Stadium. After a scoreless first inning, Western took the lead in the 2^nd on an RBI double by the Catcher Megan Hamilton (Glencoe, ON) and then extended their lead in the 3^rd inning when Player of the Game Abby Bush (Dartmouth, NS) cashed in 2 more runners with a 2 RBI double. That would be enough for Mustangs pitcher Madison Mahon (Reaboro, ON), who blanked the Hawks to earn the victory. Meagan Muir (Brampton, ON) took home the Player of the Game for the Humber Hawks after she came in as a relief pitcher and fired 4 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts. The Western Mustangs enter day 2 of the competition with a 2-0 mark and will take on the Ottawa Gee Gees in their final game of pool play, while the Humber Hawks finish 1-1 and will take on the Calgary Dino's as they wrap up pool play on Saturday.

St. Clair College vs. Durham College

Game #6 had the hometown St. Clair Saints take the SportsPlex Diamond as the visiting team to battle against rival Durham Lords in all OCAA affair. The Saints did all of the scoring in this one as they opened the scoring in the 2^nd inning to take a 1-0 lead. That's all the run support that St. Clair Pitcher and Player of the Game Mckenna Copley (Dover Centre, ON) would need as she blanketed the crafty Lords lineup, firing a complete game 1 hit shutout with 6 strikeouts to record the win for St. Clair. Player of the Game for Durham Catcher Grace Hearns (Napenee, ON) who collected the lone hit for the Lords. The Saints took the game by a final score of 6-0 and finish day 1 with a 2-0 mark, looking ahead to a 2021 National Final rematch vs. UBCO on Saturday to complete their pool play. Player of the Game for the Durham Lords

University of Calgary vs. University of Ottawa

Game #7 featured the Calgary Dinos taking on the Ottawa Gee Gees at Acumen Stadium. After a shaky opening game for the Gee Gees, they showed their toughness by jumping on the Dinos early and tallying 3 runs in the 1^st inning, taking a 3-0 lead into the 2^nd inning. Ottawa held the lead until the 5^th when Calgary stormed back to take the lead 4-1. Ottawa would respond and tie the game up at 4 apiece but that was the last of their offensive output as Calgary tacked on 4 more runs in the 6^th inning and won the game by a final of 8-4. Calgary's leadoff hitter McKenna Regier (White Rock, BC) went 2-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored to earn herself Player of the Game honours. For the Gee Gees, Jordanna Hartley (Newmarket, ON) pitched a complete game with 3 strikeouts on the rubber and also went 2-3 at the dish with 1R, 2 RBI and 1 BB as she was awared Player of the Game for her squad. Calgary enters day 2 with a 1-1 record and will take on the Humber Hawks to round out their pool play, while Ottawa looks to earn their first win tomorrow when they take on the Humber Hawks.

University of British Columbia Okanagan vs. Durham College

The final game of the day had UBCO squaring off against the Durham Lords in a pivotal pool play that saw the biggest offensive output of any game in the tournament thus far. This seesaw battle saw both offenses put up crooked numbers in multiple innings. Durham scored five in the 1^st inning, UBCO answered with three in the 3^rd and five in the 5^th to take a 9-5 lead. Durham responded with three runs in the bottom of the 5^th to claw back within one run. Unfortunately for the Lords, that is as close as they would get as each team exchanged a run in the 6^th inning before Mikhaela Muir (Okotoks, AB) slammed the door shut in the 7^th inning to secure the save for UBCO in a 10-9 victory, while Sheyanne Lawrence (Kelowna, BC) earned the win. Taylor Roeseler (Port Coquitlam, BC) went 2-3 at the dish with 1R and 4RBI for UBCO earning herself Player of the Game. For the Lords, Hannah Oke (Brooklin, ON) took home the Player of the Game honours with a 2-4 outing at the plate with 1R and 1RBI and threw 2.2 innings for her squad. UBCO finishes the day 2-0 and will play the host St. Clair Saints on Saturday morning for top spot in Pool A. Durham finishes day one at 1-1 and will take on the Toronto Varsity Blues for a battle for the 3^rd seed in the pool. 

 See below the remaining schedule of the Championship.