LONDON, Ont. - The top four softball teams in the province opened play at the 2019 OCAA championship hosted by Fanshawe College in London, Ont., on Friday.
The OCAA league champion Humber Hawks used a high-paced offence to open the tournament with a dominating 11-1 victory over the fourth-seeded Conestoga Condors. Humber's Meagan Muir hit a two-RBI single to get the Hawks on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning. The Condors would score a run before the Humber offence went off in the bottom of the third inning. OCAA Pitcher of the Year, Presly Buchanan, hit a two-RBI triple to get the Hawks rolling. They would add another three runs before the end of the frame to make the score 7-1 after three innings. The Hawks would tack on four more runs and go on to win the opening game of the tournament 11-1 in six innings. Humber players Kate Kostuch and Muir had a solid game at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs each. Buchanan was named player of the game for Humber, recording the win on the mound as well as two RBIs and two runs. OCAA League All-Star Laura Rumph was named player of the game for Conestoga. Condors pitcher Brooklyn Billings took the loss.
In the second game of the day, it was the reigning 2018 OCAA champion Durham Lords who came away with a 6-2 win over the St. Clair Saints. Caleigh Coels scored two for Durham on a double to centre field to get the Lords on the board. Strong defensive play by the Lords held the Saints scoreless through five innings, as Durham would take a 6-0 lead. St. Clair scored two for an attempt at a comeback, however the deficit proved to be too much as the Lords took the game 6-2. Durham pitcher Ashley Black had seven strikeouts in the win and was named player of the game for her performance. OCAA Player of the Year, Rya Cowan, suffered the loss for the Saints, while St. Clair's player of the game was OCAA League All-Star Jenna Hillman.
The third game of the day would see St. Clair and Conestoga battle in an elimination game. St. Clair would quickly bounce back from their earlier loss to keep their tournament hopes alive. The Saints scored first in the opening inning and would extend their lead on a two-RBI double from Cowan to make the score 4-0 after the third frame. Jordan Taylor would then score two for St. Clair in the fifth inning to put the game out of reach. Taylor notched three more RBIs, giving her five in the game as the Saints marched to a 9-0 victory. The loss for Conestoga eliminated them from the tournament. Olivia Elliot was the winning pitcher and player of the game for St. Clair, with eight strikeouts. Sarah Lisecki was named the player of the game for the Condors and Emily Lush took the loss on the mound.
In the final game of Day 1, with a ticket directly to the gold medal game on the line, Durham's Kaleigh MacIntyre scored one in the top of the third to open the scoring. Humber responded in the bottom of the fifth with a hit from Alexa Vassos. Two errors by the Lords resulted in two runs for the Hawks giving them a 2-1 lead after five innings. Humber kept the momentum in the sixth as Jessica MacPherson hit a RBI single to increase the Hawks lead to 3-1 going into the final frame. Durham's final at bat ended with an excellent defensive play by Vassos, who was named Humber's player of the game. The win secured a berth in Saturday's OCAA gold medal game for the Hawks. Durham pitcher Emily Glendinning had an impressive nine strikeouts in the loss and was named the player of the game for the Lords. The winning pitcher for Humber was Muir, who had seven strikeouts of her own. Buchanan had another impressive game at the plate, going 3-for-3.
The Championship wraps up on Saturday, where Humber will play the winner of Durham and St. Clair, who meet in the bronze medal game at 10 a.m. The OCAA bronze medal will be awarded to the loser of the game and the winner will advance to the gold medal championship at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (if necessary).
All Championship news, webcasts and up-to-date results can be found on the 2019 OCAA Women's Softball Championship website: www.ocaa.com/soft
Source: Fanshawe Falcons
Championship Website: www.ocaa.com/soft
Live Webcast: www.ocaa.com/ocaalive
Friday, October 18
Game #1: Humber def. Conestoga 11-1
Game #2: Durham def. St. Clair 6-2
Game #3: St. Clair def. Conestoga 9-0
Game #4: Humber def. Durham 3-1
Saturday, October 19
OCAA Bronze Medal Game
Game #5: St. Clair vs. Durham - 10 a.m.
Losing team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of game
OCAA Gold Medal Game(s)
Game #6: Humber vs. Winner Game #5 - 1 p.m.
Game #7*: Humber vs. Winner Game #5 - 3 p.m.
*If necessary
OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at the conclusion of final game
- OCAA -
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