Softball sweeps Seneca to conclude homestand

By: Stefan Gerardi
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – Humber softball (9-3, 3rd OCAA) swept the Seneca Sting Saturday afternoon at Connorvale Park. Game one saw the Hawks with a fiery offensive performance, while game two saw Humber make a phenomenal comeback on the shoulders of Cheyenne Sears' impressive pitching performance. The Hawks entertained their fans on their home field and will have to wait until mid-October to play in front of the Humber faithful again. 

Game One – Humber 14, Seneca 3 (5 innings)

Seneca started the game strong as third baseman River Johnston hit an RBI single to centre field, scoring Alexia Koitsopoulos in the top of the first inning. Seneca's momentum did not carry to the bottom of the inning defensively as Humber's explosive offence came out to shine with two home runs. Humber's new all-time home run leader, fourth-year third baseman Alexis Ferreira, added another with a three-run dinger to deep left-centre field. The next hitter, first-year shortstop Amelia Russo, would crush a solo shot to center to expand the Hawks' lead to 4-0. 

Seneca was unfazed by Humber's long shots and showed how determined they were to compete with the Hawks. An Anyssa Hill two-run double brought the Sting within one run of the Hawks to conclude the top half of the second inning; however, the Hawks wasted no time in getting back on the board in the bottom of the inning. After Julie Kostuch walked and Shea Hilpert singled, Christina D'Angelo doubled to score both of her teammates to put the Hawks up 6-3. With D'Angelo still on second base, Russo hit an RBI double of her own to drive D'Angelo in. Russo's second RBI of the afternoon put the Hawks up by a score of 7-3 to end the 2^nd inning. 

The floodgates opened in the third inning as the Hawks continued their offensive surge scoring seven runs on five hits. The hit parade included hits from Julie Kostuch, Shea Hilpert, Christina D'Angleo, Alexis Ferreira, and Amelia Russo. Three walks, as well as a wild pitch, aided the Hawks to post seven in the frame and ultimately mercy the Sting in the fifth inning by a final score of 14-3. 

The Hawks concluded their first game of the day with 12 hits, one error and going an impressive 11-for-17 with runners on. D'Angelo, Ferreira, and Russo showed their talents in the batter's box today, tacking on three more RBIs each to their season total. 

Mikaela Moore earned her team-best third victory of the season, throwing 3.1 innings in relief, only allowing one hit on the afternoon.

Game Two – Humber 10, Seneca 9

The Sting began game two as they did game one, scoring on their first at-bats in the first inning. A Caity Allen RBI sacrifice fly would score Anyssa Hill, while a River Johnston RBI groundout would score Alexia Koitsopoulos to put the Sting up 2-0. The Hawks' offensive momentum continued into game two as Amelia Russo would pick up her fourth RBI of the afternoon on an RBI single to center field, scoring Christina D'Angelo. Two hitters later, pitcher Rilee Devries knocked a ball into orbit for her first career home run, which would cash Jessica MacPherson and Amelia Russo to put the Hawks up by two to end the first.   

Seneca stormed back with a vengeance in the second inning chasing Devries out the game after scoring seven runs on four hits. Pitcher, Cheyenne Sears, finished off the inning for the Hawks shutting down the Sting; however, the Hawks would still trail 9-4 going into their half of the inning. 

Christina D'Angelo would whack a ball past the Seneca outfielders to score Julie Kostuch. She would hustle her way around the bases turning on the jets for an inside-the-park home run to cut the Sting's lead to three with the second inning coming to a close. 

The Hawks would hold the Sting to a scoreless over the next three innings on shutdown pitching and defence. After a lead-off double from Amelia Russo, Melissa Hahnfeld would drive her in with an RBI double to tick on another run for the Hawks in the third inning.

The fourth inning saw Shea Hilpert score on an RBI sac fly from Jessica MacPherson to bring the Hawks within one. Finally, the fifth inning would see the Hawks complete their miraculous comeback on a Shea Hilpert RBI single that would cash Hannah Koziolek to tie the game at nine. Christina D'Angelo would later score Hilpert on an RBI single to center field, giving the Hawks their first lead of the game. 

Heading to the top of the seventh inning with a chance to close out the game, the Humber Hawks shut down the Seneca Sting to come back from a five-run deficit and win the tilt by a score of 10-9.

Cheyenne Sears was great in relief as she pitched 5.2 innings, racking up five strikeouts and only allowing one hit. Christina D'Angelo had another three RBI game while Amelia Russo stayed red hot with three more hits to add to her season stats. 

The Hawks finished the game posting 12 hits and going 7-for-13 with two outs. 

Humber Highlights

• Alexis Ferreira's four home runs are tied for most in the conference.
• Humber extends its win streak against Seneca to 36 consecutive games.
• Seneca's nine runs were the most in a game against Humber since 2011.
• Christina D'Angelo, Rilee Devries, and Amelia Russo recorded their first home runs.
• Coach Bowles now sits five wins away from 100 career victories.
• Shea Hilpert's nine-swiped bags is the second-most in the conference and halfway to Humber's single-season record of 18.

What's Next?

Humber softball team will be back in action on Sept. 25 in a doubleheader with the Conestoga Condors (5-4, 5th OCAA). First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. The Hawks won't be back at Connorvale Park until Oct. 15 to conclude the regular season with a doubleheader with the Fanshawe Falcons.