By Larry Moko
Chloe Pender of the St. Mary Crusaders calls it the biggest hit of her four-year high school slo-pitch career.
Her opposite-field three-run triple down the first-base line in the second inning sparked St. Mary to a 12-2 mercy-rule victory over the Bishop Tonnos Titans on Tuesday.
With that six-inning result in Ancaster, the Crusaders captured the 2025 Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic girls' slo-pitch championship.
It was St. Mary's second-consecutive league title and eighth in the last nine years.
"I thought it was going to go out (foul) but it ended up sneaking past the first baseman and everyone got in," Pender said.
"That felt really good."
Crusaders coach Charles Giudice said the team's veteran right fielder didn't have much previous playoff experience as a starter.
"It was an opportunity for her to play in the final," Giudice added, "and she came up big for us."
The St. Mary attack also featured a solo home run that Peyton Nicholls smashed to right-centre field.
Pitcher Jade McNicol went the distance for St. Mary and, at the plate, delivered a pair of run-scoring singles.
Tonnos scored both of its runs in the top of the fifth inning. Macie Dixon doubled and scored when the next batter, Valley Olinski, belted a triple. Olinski then raced home one-out later on a bloop single by Aylin Piasecki.
St. Mary went undefeated during the regular season (6-0) before downing the St. John Henry Newman Cardinals, 14-4, in a semifinal. Tonnos, the sixth-place finisher with a 2-4 mark, swept past both the Bishop Ryan Celtics, 11-4, in a quarter-final round and the St. Jean de Brebeuf Braves, 8-5, in their semifinal.
"Basically, we were the underdogs," co-coach Wayne Comeau of the Titans said. "We had two upset wins in a row over Bishop Ryan and Brebeuf. We just ran out of gas in this game."
Said Tonnos' other coach, Christina DiFranco: "St. Mary came in as the defending champion. They're a good team. It was a pleasure to play against them.
"Our girls have come a long way since last year. They are proud to make second place."
According to Giudice, St. Mary had a full six weeks of practice before the season started. And, along the way, the Crusaders entered two tournaments -- winning silver in Dunnville and bronze in Burlington.
"This year's team was kind of up and down," the St. Mary coach said. "We were pretty sound today, though. When the games really counted we stepped up."
Pender believes St. Mary's success in the sport stems from it's team work.
"We're just one big family," she said. "We support each other. Everyone is excited to come to the games and practices. It's something I really look forward to."
St. Mary will advance to a Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference semifinal on May 26 in Ancaster. Their opponent is scheduled to be the second-place school from the Halton Catholic league.
Other St. Mary players include Jessica Taylor, Mallory Noisedlak, Sadie Noonan, Emily Jones, Ava Bluhm, Mackenzie Pender, Anne Cochrane, Kendra Restauri, Lena Manseau, Jo Mella, Emily Doyle, Olivia Hirlehey, Taylor Klyne and Hannah Meadows.
A GHAC semifinal victory would qualify St. Mary for the OFSAA championship festival June 9-10 in Windsor.
Photos by R.F. (Bob) Butrym, RFB Sport Photography
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