In their best finish since 1998, Conestoga’s women’s softball team earned a silver medal at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) championship tournament hosted by St. Clair College in Windsor from October 17 to 19. Individual team members were also recognized with a number of awards.
Despite a difficult start that saw the Condors dropping their first game to Durham on Friday morning, the team fought back to take a 3-2 win over Humber later in the day thanks to a two-run homer from Amanda Rose in the fourth inning and an RBI single from Stephanie Baril in the bottom of the eighth. Pitcher Lauren Ruf earned six strikeouts.
A repeat match against Durham on Saturday morning ended in an 8-5 victory for Conestoga, earning the Condors a spot in the gold-medal game against St. Clair. An early lead for the Condors slipped away when the host team scored two runs in the fourth and four runs in the fifth inning, and despite a late rally by Conestoga, St. Clair took the championship with a 7-5 win in the final game.
Conestoga players Tori Taylor of Kitchener and Brittany Bell of New Hamburg were named as championship all-stars, with batting averages of .357 and .308 respectively.
The season's top players and coaches were recognized at a banquet held prior to the final tournament. Conestoga's Lauren Ruf was named OCAA Pitcher of the Year, with a 2.41 earned run average in the regular season. Coach Ron Taylor received the OCAA Coach of the Year award, while Lauren Ruf, Tori Taylor and Brittany Bell were all named to the OCAA all-star team.
This is the second medal in as many years for the Condors, who brought home the bronze medal in 2013.
For more information and player statistics, visit the OCAA website.