Lady Panthers Taylor tosses no-hitter (new)

What a performance.

Leigh Anne Taylor will long remember her first pitching victory in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Women’s Fastball League.

Taylor threw a no-hitter and struck out 12 batters as the Canadore College Lady Panthers blanked Sudbury Cambrian College Golden Shield 2-0 Wednesday night at Kelly Field.

Taylor, who is now 1-1 on the season, was in complete control throughout the game. She allowed but two base runners, walking Cindy Lafreniere in the sixth inning, after retiring the first 16 batters she faced, and Deanna Debassige, with one out in the seventh.

Debassige was doubled up when Jen Nychuk came in and made a running catch on Daphne Corbiere’s fly ball to centre field and threw to first baseman Britanny Shannon to complete the double play and end the game.

Taylor, who scored the first run for the Panthers in the second, struck out the side in the fourth inning and had two strikeouts in each of the first, third and fifth innings. She had single strikeouts in the other three innings. Taylor threw 87 pitches, 57 of them strikes.

“I didn’t pay much attention to the no-hitter during the game,” Taylor said. “We needed to win this game. The team came up with some great plays behind me.”

Left fielder Megan Downey made a fine running catch in the second inning and Taylor recovered on a bobbled ball to throw out Laura Myers in the fifth inning.

In the bottom of the second, Taylor reached on an error and went to second on the play. She advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored when Kerri Milne reached base on another error.

Downey’s single to centre field scored Milne with the second run in the fourth.

Taylor, Milne, Downey and Nychuk had the hits for the Panthers, who are now 1-2 on the season.

Angela Jonker took the loss for the Golden Shield.

The Lady Panthers host Oshawa Durham College Lady Lords Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. Both games are Kelly Field at the Optimist Park Complex.


Panther schedule:
Home games at Kelly Field, Optimist Park Complex:
Saturday Sept. 11: St. Clair Saints 3 Panthers 2, first game;
Saturday Sept. 11; St. Clair Saints 7 Panthers 1, second game
Wednesday Sept. 15: Panthers 2 Cambrian College Golden Shield 0
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Friday Sept. 17: vs Durham Lady Lords, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday Sept. 18: vs Durham Lady Lords, 11 a.m.
Saturday Sept. 25: vs Conestoga Condors, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Wednesday Sept. 29: at Cambrian College Golden Shield, 6:30 p.m.
Friday Oct. 1: at Mohawk College Mountaineers, 6 p.m.
Saturday Oct. 2: at Mohawk College Mountaineers, Noon
Tuesday Oct. 5: at Seneca Sting, 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

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