By Sam Laskaris
Writer
The Ohsweken Mohawks were able to register some rather dominating performances.
And in the end, the Mohawks were able to win their third consecutive provincial title.
The Mohawks, a women’s masters squad, consisting of players aged 35 and over, captured top honours in their category at the All Ontario Native Fastball Tournament.
The three-day tournament, which wrapped up on Sunday, was held at ball diamonds in Ohsweken and Caledonia.
A total of 33 squads competed in the provincial tournament. They took part in five categories.
The Mohawks were the only squad from Six Nations to win their division.
The Mohawks ended up winning all four of their contests at the All Ontario tourney. They defeated another Six Nations-based squad called Sour Springs 12-2 in their championship final.
Tournament organizer Darrell Anderson presents Mohawks’ player Ginny Smith with a new glove for being the MVP in the women’s masters category at the All Ontario Native Fastball Tournament. Photo courtesy Audrey MacDonald.
That contest was deemed a final after just four innings due to a mercy rule as the Mohawks were ahead by 10 runs at that point.
Audrey MacDonald, who shares the Mohawks’ coaching duties with Brenda Jacobs, wasn’t surprised to see her team win another provincial title.
“We’ve got an all-around balanced team,” said MacDonald, who like Jacobs, also continues to play for the club.
Besides winning last year’s Ontario title, the Mohawks had also captured the crown in 2019, thus the club technically completed a three-peat this year.
The provincial tournament was not staged in either 2020 or ’21 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Mohawks had kicked off this year’s tournament by downing Sour Springs 12-5. That match concluded after five innings because of a mercy rule, which saw the Mohawks up by seven runs.
The only close game the Mohawks had in the tourney was on Saturday when they edged Bucktown 8-7, in a contest which required a pair of extra innings to declare a winner.
The Mohawks then thumped the Six Nations-based Storm 19-1 in its other Saturday match, which was again called early due to a mercy rule after five innings.
MacDonald believed her squad was capable of winning another provincial title but added she didn’t expect things to be relatively easy for her squad for the most part.
“We expected a little bit more (competition),” she said. “But one team (the Storm) had to go with only one pitcher because their other pitcher got hurt.”
As for the Mohawks, they had the luxury of utilizing four solid pitchers. They were Amy Davis, Lacey Hill, Ashley Martin and Vicky Miller, who doubled as the team’s manager.
“Everyone pitched in all four games,” MacDonald said.
MacDonald also praised Jayme Sky, the team’s catcher who played every inning in the tournament.
Also, Ginny Smith, who played second base for the Mohawks, was selected as the most valuable player in the women’s masters category. Smith, who is 60, is the oldest player on the Mohawks’ roster.
“Ginny plays hard every game,” MacDonald said. “Even though she is 60 now, she plays like she’s 40. She is the mentor for all the girls.”
The Mohawks’ roster also included Amanda Martin, Becky Montour, Megan Aaron, Tomara Cochran, Becky Thomas, Brandy Jonathan, Brandi Hill, Mekwan Tulpin and Tricia Henhawk.
