NORTH YORK, ON – Returning to OCAA action, the Durham Lords completed their regular season schedule with a pair of wins against the Seneca Sting on Wednesday evening.

Durham took an early lead with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. After hitting a single and stealing second, Grace Hearns (Napanee, ON) rounded third base and made her way home on an RBI single from Jocelyn Shelton (Aylmer, ON). Shelton later scored from second herself to take a 2-0 lead before the end of the inning.

In the fourth inning, the Lords doubled their lead with two outs on the board. Natalie Clemens (Marmora, ON) doubled, allowing Arianne Pollon (Tisdale, SK) and Kaylen Wilson (Pickering, ON) to get on the board.

With a four-run lead heading into the seventh and final inning, the Lords' bats got hot right from the first at bat. Athlete of the Week Hearns tripled and was brought home by the next batter as a single from Brynne Naworynski (Aurora, ON) brought her home.

With one out and runners on first and second, Ryleigh Easton (Bowmanville, ON) singled to bring Naworynski home from second and Abi Suffel (Whitby, ON) found her way to third base.

Hannah Oke (Brooklin, ON) registered her first hit of the game, a double, recording two RBI's as Easton and Suffel would both score.

Still with only one out, a single by Pollon was enough for Oke to run down the third base line and cap off a five-run seventh inning.

Morgan Salter (Battersea, ON) finished off the game on the mound to secure the 9-0 win for the visiting Lords. She pitched 2.0 innings, giving up one hit and striking out three batters. Emily Glendinning (Plattsville, ON) had the start, pitching 5.0 innings and striking out eight batters while also only conceding one hit. Neither pitcher gave up a run in what would be a shutout.

The Lords scored a run in each of the first six innings during the second game, beginning with a run scored by Hearns from third base on a wild pitch. Clemens doubled the lead later in the inning to make it 2-0.

After Seneca scored their first run of the day in the bottom half of the first inning, Durham scored three more in the second for a 5-1 lead. Easton scored on an RBI single hit by Mackenzie Williamson (Brooklin, ON), who would score herself in the next at bat. With Naworynski on second base, a single hit by Clemens brought her across home plate for the four-run lead.

In the top of the third inning, Kylie Schofield (Oshawa, ON) grounded out with runners on second and third base, allowing Sydney Redick (Alvinston, ON) to run down the third baseline for Durham's fifth run of the game.

Naworynski scored her second of the game in the fourth inning, after hitting a single and advancing to third on back-to-back wild pitches. Seneca added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth.

The Lords replied back in the top of the fifth with the bases loaded, Schofield hit a single and registered an RBI as Oke scored.

In the sixth inning, Hearns singled as the lead-off hitter and immediately stole second before being advanced to third on a ground out. As Shelton hit another single on the evening, Hearns scored to take a 9-3 lead. A few batters later, Easton hit a single for two RBI's as Suffel and Shelton scored to finish off the scoring and win 11-3.

Redick pitched 3.2 innings and Oke pitched 3.1, striking out six and four batters respectively.

Sitting second in the OCAA through 24 games, the Lords have booked their ticket to the 2022 OCAA Women's Softball Championship hosted by Fanshawe College in London.

The OCAA regular season wraps up on Sunday and the championship takes place from October 20-22, 2022.

OVERALL RECORD: 23-11
CONFERENCE RECORD: 18-6
NEXT GAME: 2022 OCAA Women's Softball Championship - Opponent TBD.


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