HAWKS SPLIT DOUBLE HEADER IN PRESEASON ACTION
KITCHENER, ON: The Humber Hawks women's softball team began their 2016 season Monday afternoon with a pair of exhibition games against two of the top programs in the province.
In their first game, Humber faced off with Conestoga, a program that has five provincial championships to their name. Getting the start for the Hawks was freshman pitcher Rachel Matheson-Green (Oakville), who was getting her first taste of OCAA action. Over four innings of work, the righty limited the Condors to only one run. Veteran pitcher Amanda Van de Graaf (Mississauga) threw the final three innings and Humber won the game 11-3.
Bonnie Gillingham (Brampton) and Meaghan Murphy (Brampton) paced the way offensively for Humber, putting together multiple quality at-bats. The biggest swing of the game came from power-hitting first baseman Hilary Redrup (Carlisle). Redrup crushed a fastball, launching a massive home run over the fence in left-centre field.
Game two saw the Hawks playing provincial powerhouse Western Mustangs, a program that has won six consecutive Ontario Championships and four straight national championships from 2011-14. On the mound for Humber in game two was Myranda Pierson (Toronto), who finished 2015 with a 10-4 record and 2.64 ERA in her freshman year. In her first appearance of the season, Pierson limited the Mustangs to only two hits and one unearned run over four innings of work.
Mustangs pitcher Sara Contini held the Hawks bats at bay all afternoon until the fifth inning, when Humber was able to string together multiple hits. Fourth-year catcher Terah Camilleri (Streetsville) broke up the no-hitter with a hard single through the right side and finished the game with two hits.
After Megan Murphy drove in the tying run, freshman right fielder Sarah Franchetto (Guelph) ripped a ball down the line to drive in two more runs, making the score 3-1.
Unfortunately for Humber, the Mustangs came storming back in the sixth inning, scoring four runs and ultimately winning the game 5-3.
"I think today gave us a very good barometer as to where we are at the moment and how good this team can be if we trust our process and continue to do the little things well," said interim head coach Duaine Bowles.
Despite the games not counting towards their overall records, game two against Western had a different feel to it.
"Playing Western truly felt like a playoff game today," added Coach Bowles. "Both teams competed hard, determined to come away with a win. This is only the first step in our process and I have to say that I'm happy with where we are at the moment."
The Hawks will hold one more open tryout on September 6th before finalizing their 2016 roster. The tryout will be held at Wildwood Park at 3:30pm.
