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.
