Julie Hastings rallied back to win 7-4 over Rhonda Varnes in Draw 3 action at the Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts Tuesday night in Penetanguishene, Ont.
Hastings and her Thornhill-based team moved up to a 3-0 record while handing Varnes (2-1) her first defeat at the tournament.
Varnes, from Ottawa, settled for a single in the third and stole one in the fourth after Hastings’s final shot rolled just an inch too far. Hastings missed on her final shot in the fifth as it just grazed Varnes’s shot rock to give up another point.
Trailing 3-0, Hastings bounced back with a single in six and a steal of one in seven. Varnes landed on the lid with her last shot in eight for one but missed the runback with her final throw in the ninth and Hastings capitalized to score three and take a 5-4 lead. Varnes was looking to hit and stick in the 10th to force the extra end but her shooter rolled and Hastings added two more points to finish the game.
Sherry Middaugh also improved to 3-0 with an 11-5 victory in nine ends over Shannon Kee. Middaugh, from Coldwater, trailed 3-1 after three but scored two in the fourth, stole one in the fifth and swiped two more points in the sixth to extend her lead. Kee, from Waterloo, rebounded with a deuce in seven but Middaugh sealed up with the victory scoring two in eight and stealing again to take three in the ninth.
Brantford’s Jacqueline Harrison is also at the top at 3-0 after edging Ottawa’s Danielle Inglis 6-5. Inglis dropped to 1-2.
Defending champion Allison Flaxey bounced back from an opening night loss to improved to a 2-1 record following an 8-3 win over Megan Balsdon (0-3). Flaxey broke a 2-2 tie wide open with a score of four in the seventh end. Balsdon, from Mississauga, scored one in the eighth and Flaxey finished the game with a deuce in nine.
Flaxey fell to Varnes 10-7 Monday night after Varnes scored two in the ninth and stole four in the final end. The Listowel rink scored a 7-4 victory over Romain in the afternoon draw.
Mississauga’s Clancy Grady (1-2) picked up her first victory of the tournament with a 13-6 win in nine ends over Caitlin Romain (0-3) of Waterloo. Romain earned a deuce in the first and stole one in the second to open with a 3-0 lead. Grady picked up two in the third and another pair in the fourth to pull ahead before Romain tied it with a single in the fifth. Grandy took the lead for good scoring three in the sixth and adding a steal of one in seven. Romain scored another deuce in eight but Grandy iced the game with a five-ender in the ninth.
Ontario Scotties action continues with Draw 4 Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET. Click here for the tournament schedule.
