OSHAWA, Ont. - The Durham College women's fastball team defeated Humber 6-5 on Thursday night and clinched a spot in the OCAA championship.

Both teams exchanged runs early in the game but the Lords entered the bottom of the seventh inning trailing Humber 5-3.

"Get a couple runners on, get some timely hits, we got a chance to win this ball game," said Durham head coach Jim Nemish in the middle of the inning to inspire his team and his players did exactly that.

The seventh inning rally began with a short fly ball to right field courtesy of Lydia Kalbfleisch (Moorefield, Ont.) which resulted in two runs tying the game 5-5. This would setup Danielle Crosby (Whitby, Ont.) who converted her only hit of the game into a walk off single to win by a score of 6-5.

"I think the turning point in that last inning was the hustle of Hope Eagleson (Plattsville, Ont.) down first base to keep that last inning alive," said Nemish when asked about the final inning. "Her hustle down the line on that infield hit got everyone pumped up."

Other key performers included pitcher Ashley Black (Waterloo, Ont.) who pitched all seven innings allowing five runs, all unearned while recording four strikeouts. Black also had a strong showing at the plate going 3-for-3 with one RBI and two runs. Kelsey Gallant (Whitby, Ont.) also produced at the plate going 3-for-4 with a run and RBI.

After the game Nemish spoke of the success this past week which has built momentum for the Lords heading into the CCSA Championship this weekend.

"We played two good games on Tuesday and followed it up with a great game tonight. Our pitching staff has been great all year and in the last couple games we've started to get the timely hitting, that's what we needed."

The Lords will look to ride this momentum as they now head to London for the CCSA National Championship where they will begin the tournament against the University of Calgary on Saturday.

Last year at nationals, Durham won a silver medal as they advanced to the national title game.

The OCAA championship will be hosted by Humber from Oct. 18-19. Durham will face Humber in the opening round with the other match-up featuring Conestoga and St. Clair.

Thursday was the Lords final home game of the season which marked senior's night at the ballpark. The Lords honoured third-year starter Kayla Worotniak of Lloydminter, Alta. In her first two-years with the team, Worotniak won four national and provincial medals including OCAA gold in 2011.

Source: Durham College

Photo Credit: Al Fournier