LANGFORD, BC - The Durham College women's softball team will return to Ontario with silver medals after being defeated by the St. Clair Saints 9-2 at the 2023 CCSA National Championship.
The Lords played UBC-Okanagan in their semifinal match, their first meeting since UBCO defeated Durham 7-0 for the bronze medal last year.
Fortunes were different this time. After two scoreless innings to open the game, Jocelyn Shelton (Aylmer, ON) put the ball in play in the bottom of the third to send Natalie Clemens (Marmora, ON) and Grace Hearns (Napanee, ON) home for the game's first two runs.
One batter later, Sydney Redick (Alvinston, ON) hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Shelton home for a 3-0 lead.
With two outs on the board, Kaleigh MacIntyre (Bowmanville, ON) hit a line drive up the middle to bring Chelsea Oke (Brooklin, ON) and Hannah Oke (Brooklin, ON) in to cap off a five-run inning.
With MacIntyre up to bat again in the fifth inning, she doubled on a ground ball to right field that sent the Oke sisters across home again for the second time in the game.
The 7-0 scoreline secured a spot in the championship final for the third time in program history.
Up to bat in the top of the first inning of the gold medal game, Hearns immediately hit a triple at the top of the batting order and was brought home on a ball hit by Shelton.
St. Clair responded with a home run at the top of the order in the bottom half of the inning and piled on with seven runs over the first two innings to take an early 7-1 lead.
In the top of the third, Hearns hit a solo home run over the right field wall in an attempt to climb out of the six run deficit. It didn't spark any further offence however and the Saints added two more runs for a 9-2 victory in five innings.
Hearns led the way going 2-for-3 at the plate with both runs in the game for the Lords.
Redick was named to the 2023 CCSA National Championship all-star team.
Durham's national championship result adds a fifth all-time medal to their count which includes three silver medals and two bronze medals.
ALL-TIME CCSA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALS
2010 - Bronze
2011 - Bronze
2012 - Silver
2018 - Silver
2023 - Silver
The Lords return to OCAA action on Thursday, October 12 against the Seneca Sting at Babcock Field at 6:00 and 8:00 PM. The doubleheader is their final home games of the season and will celebrate outgoing graduating seniors, also featuring the Babcock Field naming ceremony with Ken Babcock, former Director of Athletics & Recreation.
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