Velocci walks off Durham to conclude the regular season

By: Nina Kersnik
Humber Athletics Communications

ETOBICOKE – With the home diamond surrounded in blue and gold for one last time in the regular season, Humber softball (12-8, 3^rd OCAA) split the doubleheader between the Durham Lords (17-3, 1^st OCAA), on Monday under the lights at Connorvale Park. Third-year pitcher Shade Hansen got four strikeouts within the first few innings. Third-year Reese Velocci and fourth-year Rilee Rothwell teamed up to secure a victory in the second game.

The nail-biting second win was just one of the highlights of the night. This matchup also continued Humber's tradition of honouring its seniors in their final home game. The Hawks acknowledged pitcher Angelina Bomberry and outfielder Shea Hilpert for their many contributions to the Humber softball program. In the second game, they also honoured Humber softball alumni and graduate assistant, Julia De Vuono, with a framed jersey and service ring.

Game one (Durham 5, Humber 2)

Hawks fans greeted Humber softball back to Connorvale to face the top-ranked team in the conference, the Durham Lords. After a loss in last season's final home game, the Hawks hoped to rewrite the narrative against the reigning OCAA champions.

Humber started strong with third-year pitcher Shade Hansen on the mound. She secured four strikeouts by the end of the game. In the bottom half, third-year infielder Reese Velocci walked and advanced to third on a wild pitch, as fourth-year River Johnston singled to second, to cash in Velocci, who put Humber on the board first.

 In the next frame, a couple of miscues from the Hawks would land the Lords two runs, until Velocci would put a stop to it with a lineout. She currently places second in Humber for runs batted in with 14. The Hawks would exit the inning 2-1, despite multiple tries to earn another run.

The third and fourth innings wouldn't be too exciting for Humber as their batters couldn't seem to find their rhythm.

In the fifth, the Hawks picked up the pace to quickly finish the top of the inning as Marlee Greer retired one of three batters with an incredible catch to them line out at second base. In the end, the score remained the same with no runs executed for either side.

In the next frame, Humber's offence lost steam completely as they allowed two more runs for their opponent within seconds.

At the top of the seventh, head coach Duaine Bowles looked to the dugout, sending Mikayla Brown in relief for Shade Hansen. But Durham's Emily Taylor advanced to third and scored on a wild pitch moments later, to finish the top half 5-1 in favour of Durham.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Hawks had multiple chances to score a couple runs. But first-year catcher Peyton Fitzgerald, a pinch runner for Johston, was the only player who executed a run. She advanced to second on a wild pitch, as Marlee Greer doubled to left field, sending Fitzgerald around the bases to score Humber's second run of the game to end the inning.

Despite their best efforts, Humber fell to Durham 5-2 in the first game.

Game two (Humber 10, Durham 8)

 Starting pitcher Zoe Scougall saw that Durham was looking for a sweep in game two, as the Lords continued to dominate play, scoring four runs within minutes of each other. In the bottom half, Humber found some much needed energy to get the bags loaded. But the Hawks only managed a single run from fourth-year outfielder Rilee Rothwell. By the end of the first Durham led the ball game, 4-1.

To start the second, the Lords put themselves up with another run and in the bottom half, as Marlee Greer walked, eventually sliding to take second. Rothwell then singled to centerfield, bringing in Greer to score, and cut Humber's deficit to two. By the end of the second, Durham leads by four.

In the third, Bowles would send in Angelina Bomberry as relief, and in the bottom half Reese Velocci doubled to left field, scoring the Hawks' second homer, with River Johnston in behind for the next one.

In the following frame, the Lords fought back and added another, putting Humber down by five runs. In the bottom half, the Hawks regained energy when Rothwell singled to centerfield, to eventually hit her second homer of the game. Freshman Maddy Friesen singled to center, making it home to drive in Reese Velloci and put Humber within two.

In the fifth, Durham added their seventh run, but the 2024 CCSA Silver Medalists, Shea Hilpert and Rilee Rothwell, would team up to tie the ball game at eight.

From then on, the Hawks proved it was all gas no breaks, as they kept the score tied until extra innings.

Humber's Reese Velocci hit a homer, driving Rothwell into the dish, to secure a 10-8 win at home to cap off the regular season.

Humber Highlights

• The last time Humber won a game against Durham was two seasons ago.
• Shade Hansen slips to second in the conference with 69 strikeouts, eight behind Durham's Makayla Benz.
• Rilee Rothwell places second in the conference for stolen bases with 10 in 19 games played. This is also her career high.

What's Next?

The Hawks will now turn their sights on the CCSA national championship, where they captured the program's first silver medal last season. Humber opens the tournament in Calgary on Oct. 10 against the Toronto Varsity Blues with first pitch scheduled for 1 pm ET.