CONESTOGA 4, DURHAM 3

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - The Conestoga Condors eliminated the Durham Lords from the OCAA Championship tonight on the back of a gutsy pitching performance from Lauren Ruf, who was making her second appearance of the day. The win puts Conestoga in the semi-final tomorrow where they will face the loser of tonight's Humber-St. Clair match-up.

The game started out looking like Durham might be the one headed to tomorrow's festivites, with Conestoga retired in short order in the top of the first. The Lords came to bat in the bottom of the inning and it looked like starting ace Ruf on a couple hours rest may not work.

After Ashley Black and Lydia Kalbfleisch reached base on back-to-back base knocks, Kelsey Gallant stepped up and smacked an RBI single. Kayla Gammie kept the rally going with a two-run scoring single, and all of a sudden it was 3-0 and looking like the game could be over early. A walk by Ruf had the bases loaded and the floodgates ready to burst open, but a big out let Conestoga get out of the inning without another run crossing the plate.

Each team struggled to put runners on base and through two innings the score stayed at 3-0. Kalbfleisch, Durham's own ace, looked great and it appeared the Condors would have trouble scoring. In the top of the third the red and white turned it around completely, with Corinne Armstrong smashing a rope to the gap. She tried to stretch it into a triple and was gunned out, but the hit was a sign of things to come.

With a runner on second Stephanie Baril hit a seeing eye single to make it 3-1, and the red and white weren't done. After another Conodor reached base, Hillary Heighton came through with a big two RBI hit to knot the game up at three. Kalbfleisch would finally induce a ground out to end the inning, but the momentum had clearly swung.

From the fourth inning on, starting pitching was the story. Neither offence could get anything going, with both Ruf and Kalbfleisch mixing their stuff up nicely. Through six the game stayed tied up, and the tension was building in this win or go home game.

The top of the seventh would see MacKenzie Ainlay come to the plate with two outs and a runner on second. Locked in, she ripped a huge RBI double to put Conestoga up one and the pressure squarely on the Lords.

Down one in the bottom of the inning, Hope Eagleson hit a double after a Kayla Worotniak single to put runners on second and third with only one out. Just when it looked like Ruf's magic may be running out, she buckled down and slammed the door shut. After sitting Danielle Crosby down on a beautiful sequence, the Lords pinch-hit with Brittany Bender. With the season on the line, Ruf struck her out on a nasty high heater to seal the deal.

Next up for Conestoga is a matchup with the loser of tonight's Humber-St. Clair game at 10 a.m. tomorrow, while Durham heads home no doubt disappointed.

Source: Humber College