Pride: 1
Bandits: 8
ROSEMONT, Ill.— The Chicago Bandits rounded out the third night of play against the USSSA Pride with an 8-1 victory reclaiming sole possession of first-place in the NPF standings. Starting pitcher, Andi Williamson tossed seven strikeouts in five complete innings and recorded her second win of the season.
Blaire Luna made her first career start for the Pride, registering her first loss while recording two strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched.
The Bandits set the tone early, retiring the Pride in order as Williamson and the defense started the game with a strikeout and a pair of fly-outs.
The Pride got on the scoreboard first in the top of the third after Andrea Duran’s single brought home Caitlin Lowe who walked and stole second. In the bottom half of the inning, the Bandits tied the game and eventually took the lead, plating five runs. Megan Wiggins led off the inning with a single and Eri Yamada’s double to left field brought her home, tying the game 1-1. After Kristen Butler drew a walk, Tammy Williams launched her second homerun of the season, tallying three RBIs and giving the Bandits a 4-1 cushion. Nerissa Myers continued the momentum with a triple down the right field line and would later score on a passed ball.
The 5-1 lead was enough for a pitching change as Jordan Taylor entered the circle for the Pride, replacing Luna in the third.
The Bandits tacked on two more in the bottom of the fourth after Wiggins led off with a double, Yamada reached on an error and Butler’s single to center scored them both, increasing the Bandits lead to 7-1.
The Pride threatened in the fifth, putting runners on first and second with no outs but Williamson’s quick glove forced out the lead runner at third on back-to-back plays.
Rookie pitcher for the Bandits, Michelle Gascoigne replaced Williamson in the circle at the top of the sixth inning. Gascoigne tossed back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
About USSSA Florida Pride:
The USSSA Florida Pride is a professional franchise in the National Pro Fastpitch League that is owned and operated by USSSA. The amateur organization of USSSA has multi-sport coverage and encompasses teams and players from the United States and abroad.
About NPF:
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, TN. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has operated since 1997 under the names of Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL). NPF is the Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball in the category of women’s fastpitch softball since 2002.
About USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!