The St. Clair College Men's Baseball team put an exclamation mark on their 2023 season winning their third consecutive Provincial Gold Medal Saturday at the OCAA Championship hosted by Seneca College at Stewart Burnett Park in Aurora, ON.
After rain pushed their Friday game against Durham College (Oshawa) until Saturday morning the Saints upended the tournament's second seed with a 7-2 result and used a 12-2 mercy-shortened victory over Humber College (Etobicoke) to take home the banner.
In the Durham win the Saints scored a run in the first inning but dropped three more in the second to take control early. Another single in the third and a pair in the fifth put the game out of reach. Durham managed two runs in seventh but four errors by the Lords were their undoing in the loss. St. Clair starting pitcher Sam McKinlay (Tilbury, ON) was named Player of the Game after throwing six innings and gave up only an earned run on six hits and four walks but struck out six batters. Hunter Appleyard (LaSalle, ON/St. Thomas of Villanova) provided the offensive punch for the Saints with a triple and a single that drove in four runs.
In the final win over Humber, St. Clair scored early and often to give their rival no hope. A single run in the first came before a 6-run explosion in the second. Four more runs in the third had the Saints ahead 11-0 as Humber could only respond with a single run in the fourth and fifth. St. Clair manufactured a single run in the bottom of the fifth to secure the mercy. Josh Anderson (Ajax, ON) had two hits with one RBI as Appleyard slashed another triple as part of his two hits and three RBI. Catcher Henry Real (Panama City, Panama) was named the Player of the Game for the Saints after a triple and a single that drove in three runs but also scored three times.
The St. Clair College Women's Softball team had to sweep three games on Saturday at Connorvale Park in Etobicoke to earn their second consecutive OCAA Championship Gold Medal hosted by Humber College.
In game one of the gold medal round with Durham, the Saints' bats were unstoppable and led to 18 hits as a team led by Shae-Lyn Murphy (Windsor, ON/Holy Names) and Judy Lafleur (Essex, ON/Essex) who each had three apiece. Power hitting was displayed again with Amy Claydon, Bryanna Kressler, Jacklyn Yewchyn and Alivia Peterson (Windsor, ON/St. Anne) all clearing the fence for St. Clair. Claydon and Yewchyn each drove in three runs to top the Saints in run production.
Kressler pitched the first four innings for the win, striking out seven Lords while giving up three hits and three walks, leading to a pair of earned runs. Mckenna Copley (Dover Centre) threw the final three innings in relief to help force the if necessary game.
In the deciding game, St. Clair put a quick run on the board in the first inning thanks to another Claydon homerun but she outdid herself in the third inning with a 3-run clout to give her team a commanding lead. The advantage grew to 6-0 in the fifth inning when Kressler hit a 2-run homer of her own, but Durham cut the lead in half with a 3-run poke in the bottom half. The Saints added two more runs in the seventh inning and starting pitcher Kressler began the celebration after setting down the Lords in order to end the game.
The St. Clair Saints Football team hoisted the Teddy Morris Memorial Trophy and successfully defended their Ontario Football Conference title on Saturday night, beating the London Beefeaters 32-31.
The final few drama-packed minutes kept fans from both teams on the edge of their seats. The Saints, determined to defend their title as reigning champions, were facing their rival Beefeaters for the fourth consecutive time in the OFC Final.
As the game progressed, London managed to seize the lead, going up 18-15 after three-quarters of play. However, St. Clair was not about to let their championship hopes slip away. The Saints scored on the opening play of the fourth quarter, capturing their first lead of the game at 22-18. The Saints then extended their lead to 25-18 with just 5:20 remaining in the game after a crucial field goal. In a daring move, the Beefeaters decided to attempt a two-point conversion to take the lead. They ran a quarterback boot and attempted a pass to an eligible offensive lineman in a trick play that left fans on the edge of their seats. However, the pass narrowly missed its target, Dante Colaiacovo, keeping the score at 32-31 with only 50 seconds remaining.
With London forced to kick off, they attempted an onside kick and successfully recovered the ball, giving them a lifeline. A completed pass brought the Beefeaters within striking distance near the Saints' 20-yard line. However, a critical fumble on the four-yard line, sent the ball bouncing into the end zone, where St. Clair recovered to seal their victory.
With the clock ticking down, the Saints took over and entered victory formation, kneeling out the remaining seconds. The final score stood at St. Clair 32 - London 31, as St. Clair celebrated their second consecutive OFC Final win.
St. Clair will now advance and travel to the CJFL national semi-final next Sunday, October 29th where they will face the Prairie Conference Champions for a chance to play in the CJFL Canadian Bowl.
Saturday was certainly a Super Saturday for all of Saints Nation!
