October2012

Durham College looking for a three-peat at the OCAA Women’s Fastball Championship

October 18, 2012

Oshawa, ON

Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Media Release

Wednesday, October 17, 2012



Durham College looking for a three-peat at the OCAA Women’s Fastball Championship

Championship Website: www.senecacollege.ca/ocaa<http://www.senecacollege.ca/ocaa/
Championship Webcast: www.sportscanada.tv<http://www.sportscanada.tv/


TORONTO - The top four women's fastball teams in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) are set to square off in a double-knockout tournament to determine the 2012 OCAA champion.



The 2012 OCAA Women's Fastball Championship takes place Friday and Saturday at Seneca College in North York, Ont.



Durham is the two-time defending champions, having struck gold 16 times. The Lords remain the team to beat after a near-perfect record resulting in the regular season championship.



Durham's only blemish came against upstart Humber, competing in just their second OCAA season. There was no sophomore jinx for the Hawks as they soared to the second-best record during the regular season, with their only losses coming against Durham. Each team likely stands in the way of the other if either is to be crowned this year's champion.



Not to be underestimated, St. Clair has earned an OCAA medal in each of the last seven seasons, winning a gold medal as recent as 2009. Host Seneca boasts the second-most OCAA championships behind Durham, and will look to use home field to its advantage.



In the double-knockout tournament, teams play a minimum of two games. Clubs are eliminated from the competition after their second loss. Schools are seeded based on regular season record.



The team that wins both games in the opening day of the tournament advances directly to the gold medal game, with two chances to win the championship. The team that avoids a second loss wins the tournament and the title.



Durham (14-1, 1st OCAA)

Durham was an offensive juggernaut during the regular season, setting new OCAA records in total runs (177), total hits (198) and runs batted in (142). A good omen for the Lords is that the previous records were set by Durham teams that went on to win the OCAA championship.



Individually, second-year third baseman Melissa Semeniuk (Ajax) set a new OCAA single season record with 31 hits resulting in a .544 batting average. That wasn't the top average on the team, as first-year shortstop Samantha Bryant-Officer (Mount Forest) batted at a .562 clip.



Durham may score a lot of runs, but they don't allow many either. Third-year player Kristine Miles (Whitby) led all pitchers with a 1.71 earned run average resulting in a 5-0 record.



The Lords have won nine straight since suffering a 17-9 loss to Humber which ended a 29-game win streak. Durham has won an OCAA medal every season since 1996.



Humber (13-2, 2nd OCAA)

Humber went to the 2011 OCAA championship game in its first women's fastball season. The Hawks are hoping for a return trip to the game, this time with better results.



Jessica and Jacqueline O'Quinn (Etobicoke) have brought new meaning to the fastball term "twin killing". The twin sisters have etched their names in the OCAA record book, with Jessica setting a new single season mark with 29 RBI. She also tied the single game RBI record of six on three separate occasions. Jessica also led the league in hitting with a .591 average. Jacqueline set a new regular season record scoring 23 runs.



If they are not "killing" opponents at the plate, they are doing so from the rubber. Jacqueline had a 3-0 record with a 2.00 ERA. Jessica led the team in wins with a perfect 5-0 record and even 3.00 ERA. Humber allowed the fewest runs during the regular season as opponents scored just 49 times, an average of 3.3 runs a game.



Similar to Durham, Humber brings a nine-game win streak into the OCAA championship.



St. Clair (9-6, 3rd OCAA)

The St. Clair roster had a lot of turnover from 2011, but the Saints managed to play winning fastball despite ending the regular season with three straight losses.



First-year pitcher Alexa Georgiou (Windsor) has been a key addition to the club, leading the OCAA in victories with a 6-4 record along with a 3.22 ERA.. Georgiou was second in the league with 67 strikeouts and 58.2 innings pitched.



Georgiou was also a threat 43 feet away, leading the Saints with 14 runs and 13 RBI while tying another first-year teammate Jordan Beauchesne (Windsor) with 22 hits each. Georgiou's .431 batting average was second only to Beauchesne's .537.



St. Clair's only losses of the regular season came against Durham and Humber.



Seneca (5-10, 4th OCAA)

The Sting have won three of their past five games as they look to carry this momentum into the OCAA championship.



Pitching has been a bright spot for Seneca with first-year player Lauren McLaughlin (Oakville) earning five wins, leading the league with 77 strikeouts and 72.0 innings of work. Seneca will look to squeeze more innings out of her with the potential of five games in two days.



Seneca has struggled to score during the regular season, with a league-low 49 runs. It isn't as a result of the effort of third-year catcher Natalie Chiarotto (Lefroy) who led the team with 18 hits and a .439 batting average.



Similar to St. Clair, Seneca's roster had a lot of turnover from 2011 with several first-year players participating in their first OCAA championship tournament.

The tournament will be webcast on SportsCanada.TV<http://www.sportscanada.tv/index.php/seneca-sting.



Championship Schedule


Friday, October 19
Game 1: Durham vs. Seneca - 1 p.m.
Game 2: Humber vs. St. Clair - 3 p.m.
Game 3: Losers of Games 1 and 2 - 5 p.m.
Game 4: Winners of Games 1 and 2 - 7 p.m.



Saturday, October 20
Bronze Medal Game
Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 - 10 a.m.
*Loser awarded Bronze, winner advances to Gold Medal Round



Gold Medal Game #1
Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Bronze Medal Game - 1 p.m.



Gold Medal Game #2
If necessary - 3 p.m.



- OCAA -



ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is a recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 30 members sponsoring 16 league and tournament championships.

For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
Fax: 416-426-7308
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.commailto:bell-webster@ocaa.com

 

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