Sabres repeat as OFSAA slo-pitch champs

Back-to-Back Champions: Sandwich Claims OFSAA Gold at Home

In a thrilling gold medal showdown at the OFSAA tournament, the Sandwich Sabres battled back from multiple deficits to earn a 10-7 victory over Milton's Bishop Reding, securing their second straight provincial title — this time on home turf.

Source: Marco Antonuzzo

The game was a back-and-forth affair filled with clutch plays and momentum swings. For the first time in the tournament, Sandwich found themselves trailing after the first inning, down 2-0, but they responded with resilience, tying it 2-2 by the end of the second.

The see-saw affair continued with Bishop Reding regaining the lead at 4-2 in the top of the third, but a game-changing defensive play helped stop the bleeding. With a runner on third and a flyball hit to right-center, Caitlin Brayford made a catch and fired a perfect throw home to nail the runner trying to tag up — halting what could have been a big swing inning.

That gave Sandwich the opportunity to answer in the bottom half of the inning with two more runs, tying things up at 4. Reding surged ahead with three runs in the fourth to go up 7-4, but the Sabres chipped away — scoring twice in the fifth before exploding for four runs in the sixth to take their first lead of the game at 10-7, which held up as the final score.

"It was a really great championship game," Sabres head coach Michael Trudell told Powerplay Sports. "We were having a little trouble getting the bats going but our pitching and defense have been tremendous all year and that kept us in the game until we could find some offense."

"Really proud of the way the girls played. Despite being down most of the game, they played composed and confident, and kept a great positive energy all game."

Source: Wendell Banks

Key Performances:

• Emily Crosby, the league MVP, delivered a strong performance in the circle, allowing just one walk in a steady outing.

• Haylie Hancock powered the offense, going 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs and a walk.

• Kyra Smith was a spark plug at shortstop, finishing 3-for-4 with 3 runs scored and solid defense.

• Meredith Reynolds chipped in with a perfect day at the plate (2-for-2 with a single, double, walk, and 2 RBIs).

Reflecting on the team’s repeat, Trudell beams with pride.

“When I started coaching this team in 2022, we struggled just to win a game," Trudell said. "To be back-to-back OFSAA champions now is amazing. And doing it in Windsor made it even more special, with so many friends and family in the stands. These girls are not just great athletes — they’re a fantastic group of people. It’s been an honor to coach them.”

Brennan hosted the tournament.