LONDON, ON – The Durham Lords women's softball team will face the St. Clair Saints in the gold medal game for the second consecutive season after defeating the Humber Hawks 4-0 on Saturday morning.

The game was a pitcher's duel for the first five innings, with neither offence finding a way to beat the opposing pitcher and make their way onto the scoreboard.

Emily Glendinning (Plattsville, ON) struck out 11 of the first 13 batters she faced before the no-hitter was no more on a bunt in the bottom of the fifth inning. She struck out the first six batters to make it 1-2-3 innings in the first two frames, and it wasn't until the bottom of the third that an out was recorded for Glendinning that wasn't a strikeout.

On the mound for Humber, the Lords only generated three hits in the first four innings with singles from Natalie Clemens (Marmora, ON), Hannah Oke (Brooklin, ON) and Ryleigh Easton (Bowmanville, ON).

Durham's bats caught fire in the top of the sixth inning. Jocelyn Shelton (Aylmer, ON) singled to centre field, Sydney Redick (Alvinston, ON) singled to left field and Abi Suffel (Whitby, ON) singled to right field to load the bases with no outs. Easton grounded out to the shortstop and all runners would advance, including Shelton who broke open the scoring.

Oke hit a two-run RBI single as Suffel and the pinch runner Pollon scored to give the Lords a three-run lead.

Glendinning took the mound again for the sixth game and followed up her teams' offensively dominant half inning by striking out the first two batters she faced looking and struck out the third batter swinging.

In the top of the seventh, Clemens tripled with one out on the board to give Grace Hearns (Napanee, ON) a chance to hit in the runner. Hearns took advance with a single to centre field and Clemens scored to take a four-run lead and force a pitching change for the Humber Hawks.

In the bottom of the seventh, Humber hit a lead-off double to keep Durham on their toes. Glendinning responded with her 17th strikeout of the morning to put the Hawks within two outs of the end of their season. Shelton caught a hit out to centre field for the second out and Glendinning struckout another to send the Lords to the gold medal game.

Glendinning went all 7.0 innings on the mound, striking out 18 batters and only conceding two walks and a pair of hits in the shutout win.

Clemens and Oke both had multi-hit games, going 2-for-3 at the plate. Oke would also drive in two RBI's. 

The defending OCAA champions will play for a gold medal at 1:00 PM against the St. Clair Saints. Having lost to St. Clair on Friday, the double elimination format dictates that a Saints win would decide the championship, but if the Lords win, the two sides will play a winner-takes-all game at 3:00 PM. The teams are no stranger to eachother on the big stage, facing off in the gold medal game for what will now be the fifth time in the last six seasons.

OVERALL RECORD: 26-11
CONFERENCE RECORD: 18-6
NEXT GAME: Saturday, October 22 vs. St. Clair Saints • 1:00 PM • London, ON (GOLD MEDAL GAME)


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