By: Michael Katz, Seneca Student Sports Reporter
A humble but determined Seneca Sting Varsity Women’s Fastball squad took to the field on Tuesday night for a doubleheader with their division rival Durham Lords.
The home team came into the game with a 3-1 record on the season, riding the momentum of one of their own, Amanda Boismier, being named OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association) Athlete of the Week. The second-year pitcher and Human Resources student, was phenomenal in the team’s opening game of the season striking-out 15 and earning the win in a 4-1 opening day victory.
When Boismier was asked about her performance, she humbly deflected all of the attention onto her catcher and battery-mate, Natalie Chiarotto (a second year, Therapeutic Recreation student). The pitcher raved about Natalie’s pitch selection and target spots, which were key to her success in Game 1.
Meanwhile, Chiarotto, her catching counterpart said Tuesday, ”despite it being a team effort between pitcher and catcher, Amanda’s performance was pretty awesome.”
“She was locating all her pitches throughout the game,” added Chiarotto.
Fourth-year outfielder and Fire Engineering Technology student Michelle “Mouse” Davies, was not shy in giving praise to both her pitcher and catcher; referring to Boismier, Davies called her command “excellent,” while Chiarotto’s pitch-calling was “equally impressive.”
Lost in all of the praise was Boismier’s 15 strikeouts, which sat two-off the OCAA Women’s Fastball strikeout record. Head coach Rick Finlay was around for the record-holding 17 strikeout performances, which is a record held by a former Senecans Debbie Wadsworth and Rebecca Cunningham.
Finlay said that Boismier has all the ability in the world to reach that record-breaking number one day, as long as she continues to “see the glove and hit the glove.” When asked about her 15 strikeouts, Boismier added, “it’s pretty amazing,” but did not give any credit to herself, preferring instead to praise her team-mates.
Perhaps that’s the key to the success of this Seneca team, which finished in fourth place in the entire OCAA last season. Finlay is entering his 26th season with Seneca, and is coming-off winning the OCAA East Coach of the Year Award. He prides himself on his teams’ players behaving similar to Boismier. Athletes who are proud of the feats they accomplish, but able to maintain a level-head going forward.
Meanwhile, on the field Tuesday night, the Sting had a less than stellar evening, as the club fell in both games, 11-1 and 6-0, to a more polished and experienced Durham College club. However, you wouldn’t know it from the Seneca bench - every player was full of enthusiasm, encouraging one another at the plate, in the field and on the mound throughout the evening.
Finlay says the first thing he tells his clubs at the start of the season is “if you don’t come out here to have fun, there’s no point in coming out.”
And this year’s Seneca Sting Women’s Fastball team is definitely having fun, no matter the highs and lows that come their way.
The Sting play their next home games at Newnham Campus Field (behind the Sports Centre, Building G) on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in a doubleheader vs. the Conestoga Condors. Prizes and giveaways are available for those wearing red in attendance at the games.
No comments:
Post a Comment