Yvonne Cooper
Toni Pelasio has the Midas touch.
She has the knack of bringing out the spark that wins gold
medals.
She did it in the final of the Masters Games women's softball
with two big hits in the last two innings to give the Otago
Evergreens a 12-6 win over the Oddsox from Gore in the final
at Ellis Park.
It was the second gold medal for Pelasio (39), a Dunedin
Community Police Officer, who also won gold in the mixed
touch competition.
Pelasio, who plays third base, started playing softball at
the age of 15 when she was a pupil at Kaikorai Valley High
School.
Pundits had noted her name and expected a bright future when
she entered the police and gave up the sport.
Pelasio turned the game the Evergreens way when she hit a
home run in the sixth innings to bring three batters home.
It was a crucial hit because the game was in the balance with
her team leading narrowly 5-4 after five innings.
Two more batters came home and the Evergreens had a decisive
lead before the final inning.
Pelasio did it again in the final inning with an outfield hit
that took her to third base and brought another batter home.
Pelasio made two hits from her five turns at bat, but they
were big, game-turning hits.
The other notable batters for the Evergreens were Sue Grave
with three hits from five bats and Bridget Short with three
hits from four.
It was a significant win because the Oddsox finished fifth at
the World Masters Games in Sydney in October.
They were expected to beat the Dunedin-based team that had
the reputation of always being the bridesmaid, but in the
last two innings their standard slipped.
The best player in the Oddsox team was third base Penny
Naylor who hit a home run in the first inning to give her
team the early advantage.
Pitcher Yvonne Cooper (54) achieved another milestone by
pitching the entire tournament without a break.
The Evergreens had three pitchers in their ranks.
First base Pam Waitaiki (56), the oldest player in the
tournament, was joined by her daughter, Tina (35), in the
Oddsox team.
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