The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

32 Sports Oakville Beaver www.aplushomes.ca Adam Campbell 905-844-4444 R E A L T YC O R P. B R O K E R A G E I N D E P E N D E N T LY O W N E D A N D O P E R AT E D Broker of Record SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2010 Cause and effect Buzz clinches spot in OLA playoffs The Oakville Buzz won both its games last weekend to clinch a berth in the upcoming Ontario Lacrosse Association junior B playoffs. Oakville downed the Hamilton Bengals 6-2 Friday at Glen Abbey Recreation Centre and defeated the Wallaceburg Red Devils 12-7 Sunday in Wallaceburg, improving to 10-7 on the campaign. Though the Buzz still has three regular-season games remaining, it appears unlikely that Oakville will be able to improve on its sixth-place standing in the West Conference. Oakville trails the Orangeville Northmen by three points for fourth place and home-floor advantage, but Orangeville -- on a seven-game unbeaten streak -- will close out the season with two games against teams below it in the standings. The fifth-place Welland Warlords, two points ahead of the Buzz, will finish up with two games against sub-.500 opponents. Oakville will finish up the regular season this weekend with a visit to the undefeated Six Nations Rebels Friday, a home game against the Windsor Clippers Saturday and a trip to Sarnia Sunday to visit the Pacers. Saturday's game at Glen Abbey begins at 7 p.m. In last weekend's wins, Brendan Gamble, Braden Wallace, Bryan Campbell, Bryan Cole, Tyler Albrecht and Spencer Gallant scored against Hamilton. Connor Gamble, Braden Gallant, Spencer Gallant, Cole and Albrecht each tallied twice versus Wallaceburg, with Will Glover and Brendan Gamble adding singles. Recently-acquired goaltender Ian Duffy notched the win in both contests. PHOTOS BY NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER HAPPY HUG: Nine-year-old West Oak student Sydney Morrison won gold in the 100-metre and 200m events at a junior elementary track-and-field meet last week at Sunningdale Public School, but she seemed happiest about getting a hug afterward from grandfather Ian Morrison. Captain R. Wilson, Linbrook, Post's Corners and Joshua Creek students also competed in the meet. Titans nab elusive softball title blank the Trailblazers. "Really, it does," said Sprukulis, who will depart Trinity for the University of Toronto in the fall. "Every "Finally!" Nicole Cerpnjak shouted as she rounded time, we were so close, so close. To get it is amazing." the bases after leading off the bottom of the Cerpnjak served early notice Thursday first inning with a dramatic home run. that disappointment might not be in store "Every time, we Seven innings later, her Holy Trinity this year for the Titans, mashing an oppowere so close, so Titans teammates were thinking the same site-field shot that quickly cleared the close. To get it is thing. high fence in right field and gave Trinity a The Titans finally nabbed the Halton amazing." quick 1-0 lead. girls' softball championship that had elud"That's definitely something out of the ed them the past several seasons, blanking n Holy Trinity's norm," the 15-year-old admitted with a the Iroquois Ridge Trailblazers 3-0 in Kristin Sprukulis laugh. "I'm used to hitting it to the fence Thursday's regional final at River Oaks. and stuff, but over? I wasn't expecting it at The previous two Halton finals had not ended so all." happily for the Titans. The T.A. Blakelock Tigers edged So what inspired the "finally!" shout? Trinity in extra innings of the 2008 title game after "An older girl on our team was the only one to hit it tying the contest in the final inning of regulation, then over (the fence), so we were always joking that if anyclaimed last year's match 4-2 on the strength of a one else would hit it over, it was me," said Cerpnjak, fourth-inning grand slam. who the previous week thought she had hit one and But past heartbreak only made Thursday's victory broke into a slow home run trot before the ball hit more sweeter for veteran players like pitcher Kristin halfway up the fence. "I was just so happy. It was good." Sprukulis, who combined with Lauren McLaughlin to See Ridge page 33 By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR ERIC RIEHL / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER GOOD START: Holy Trinity's Lauren McLaughlin (left) and Nicole Cerpnjak celebrate after Cerpnjak's leadoff home run in Thursday's Halton girls' softball final.