College Avenue Knights happy to ‘touch’ history with inaugural TVRA Tier I softball trophy

Hustling down the line, College Avenue’s Myla Reissner was called out on this bang-bang play. (Jeff Tribe photo)

Jeff Tribe, Echo Correspondent

It’s not that Emma Perryman is excessively superstitious.

But on game day, the Woodstock College Avenue (CASS) Knights girls’ softball player always puts her left sock on before her right, snacks on strawberry Timbits and begins her pre-game playlist with The Show Goes On.

“And oh, have to kiss the line if you step on it,” Perryman smiled.

And so, when she saw teammate Emma Colcuc pick up the inaugural Thames Valley Regional Athletics Girls’ Softball plaque before the Knights championship final game against the Arva Medway Cowboys - touching a trophy before winning it, and even after, being considered back luck in some quarters - Perryman was concerned they were playing with fate.

“I didn’t even know that was a thing,” protested Colcuc, who was quickly educated by her third baseman’s horrified reaction.

Upon further reflection, Perryman took the moment in stride.

“I was a bit worried,” she confessed. “But then I concluded that we as a collective of young women had put in a lot of work, and we would just play the game the way it was supposed to be played and the outcome would take care of itself.”

The Knights did just that, helping karma along with three three-run innings and a seven-inning, complete game performance by starting pitcher Morgan Howard, which combined for a 9-5 TVRA Tier I title victory Monday, June 2nd at London’s Stronach Park.

Howard had taken a line drive off the kneecap on the weekend during a club team tournament in Ohio. Unable to walk Saturday, she pitched a single game Sunday and might have been considered questionable as a result for Monday’s TVRA final.

“So this was a breakout game for me.”

Medway gave the Knights a battle, opening the scoring with a single in the top of the third inning. CASS responded with three runs in the home half, and again in the fourth after the Cowboys tied the game at three in the frame’s top half. Perryman stroked a two-run home run to up the Knights’ lead to 6-3. Medway refused to go quietly into the afternoon light, plating another two runs to close within one at 6-5 in the top of the fifth.

Howard struck out two in a one-two-three top of the sixth, setting the stage for College Avenue’s third three-run inning. Arianna Pastoor led it off with a base hit, stealing second to put herself in scoring position. Colcuc plated her from there with an RBI single, scoring herself as Perryman lofted a triple after a bang-bang play at first with Myla Reissner hustling hard down the line. Howard helped her own cause with an RBI triple hammered into the left-field corner, which she unsuccessfully tried to stretch into a home run.

Back on the mound to start the seventh, Howard recorded the first out 1-3 after a leadoff walk. Perryman ranged into foul territory for a popped up bunt attempt and out number two, Howard closing her complete-game victory with her 13th strikeout.

Pastoor finished with three singles for the Knights, Reissner and Payton Jones adding two apiece and Hannah Ryksen one base hit.

“We were hitting it to people to start,” said Howard. “And then we found gaps and kept rolling.”

The championship trophy, which every Knight was pleased to touch following the game, is the first awarded in recognition of softball as an official TVRA sport.

“We left our mark on the school, we just made history,” said Perryman.

“It’s nice to be the first to do something,” Howard added.

Two other Woodstock teams were also in action Monday, the Woodstock CI Red Devils capturing the TVRA Tier II title with an exciting 7-6 victory over London Theresa CHS. The Woodstock Huron Park Huskies were defeated in the Tier III final, 11-1, by Lord Dorchester.

College Avenue will head into the eight-team Ontario Federation of Secondary School Athletics (OFSAA) West qualifier scheduled for Wednesday, June 4 in Stratford as the top seed.

To be clear, Knights coach Ryan Stafford emphasized Colcuc is ‘the life of the party, the glue on the bench, a great team player and loved by her teammates.’

“But no touching trophies this time,” he smiled.

The top two teams from this event and a similar eight-team OFSAA East qualifier advance to a four-team OFSAA final on June 12 in Paris.

“I think our team is good enough to compete at that level,” Stafford concluded. “Let’s cross our fingers and hope.”