HUMBER 8, DURHAM 3

NORTH YORK, Ont. - There is a new OCAA women's fastball champion and it is the Humber Hawks. The Hawks, in just their second year of competition, defeated the defending champion Durham Lords 8-3 Saturday afternoon at Seneca College's Newnham Field. The win was extra special for the Hawks as they lost in the championship game last season to the Lords.

Humber got things going early in the first when Jacqueline O'Quinn reached on an error for the game's first batter. O'Quinn advanced to third on a single to centre by tournament MVP Kelsey Bardy. Jessica O'Quinn helped load the bases with Olivia Crossley at the plate and two outs.  Crossley hit a two-run single to give the Hawks an early lead. Shelby Robblee completed the scoring in the top of the first with an RBI single to left field.

The Lords came back in the bottom of the first with two runs of their own. Melissa Semeniuk walked to lead off the inning. Kayla MacLean, who was later called out at second on a fielder's choice, moved Semeniuk to second. Semeniuk would move over to third on the fielder's choice and was sent home on the RBI single by Janna Hagan. Pinch runner Charlotte Ciehanskie scored the second run for Durham.

The game would remain 3-2 until the fifth when Humber struck for two runs. Shawna Niskanen led off with a single and scored on a single by Bardy. The second run of the inning was scored by Bardy.

Durham once again tried to battle back in the bottom half of the inning. Semeniuk hit a double to the gap in right centre to lead off the inning. MacLean moved the runner over to third in her at-bat before Samantha Bryant-Officer drove in the final run for the Lords.

The Hawks would score three more runs in the top of the sixth for a commanding 8-3 lead with Bardy picking up another RBI and Niskanen driving in two runs.

Bardy went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs while Niskanen and Crossley each added two hits and two RBIs for the Hawks. Both Bryant-Officer and Hagan batted 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Lords.

Adidas/VSP Sports Top Batter
Samantha Bryant-Officer, Durham

Adidas/VSP Sports Top Pitcher
Jacqueline O'Quinn, Humber

Adidas/VSP Sports Tournament MVP
Kelsey Bardy, Humber

Adidas/VSP Sports Tournament All-Stars
Olivia Crossley, Humber
Alexa Georgiou, St. Clair
Shawna Niskanen, Humber
Jessica Pike, Durham
Melissa Semeniuk, Durham

Source: Seneca College