Daytona Beach, FL- The USSSA Pride and Carolina Diamonds took the field at the historic Jackie Robinson Stadium on Thursday night in what would be an exciting NPF double header. The Pride were victorious in both outings in front of an announced attendance of over 800 fans.
In the first game, Andrea Duran and Charlotte Morgan both hit their second home runs of the game, while Ashley Charters hit her first of the season to lead the Pride to an easy victory. In the pitchers circle, Sarah Pauly (2-1) got the win for the Pride giving up no runs, 5 hits, while striking out 5. Katie Burkhart (2-3) would get shelled for 9 earned runs over 6 full innings of work, walking 5 and striking out 6. Andrea Duran was a bright spot for the Pride, going 3-3 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. The Pride put up atleast a run in five of the six innings, having their biggest outburst in the 4th inning when they scored six.
In the second game of the double header, the story wasn’t much different as the Pride offense stayed hot, scoring 7 runs on 8 hits off of Diamond pitcher Angel Bunner (0-2). Brittany Mack (1-1) pitched brilliantly once again, coming off of her first career NPF start in Corpus Christi in which she had a no hitter broke in the seventh inning. Mack struck out 10 Diamond batters en route to her to her first career NPF victory.
The impact the rookies are having on the USSSA Pride is unmistakable. Krystyn Sandberg is hitting a jaw dropping .571 and her scorching start is stating a case for the NPF Rookie of the Year Award. Sandberg put up key hits for the Pride tonight, hitting an RBI single in the 3rd and a 2 RBI single in the 6th. Lauren Lappin went 2-3 for the Pride with two runs scored and remains a hot bat for the Pride two weeks into the season, hitting .500 on the year.
The USSSA Pride and the Carolina Diamonds face off next at the NTC Softball Complex in Clermont, FL on Saturday, June 22nd at 1PM and 4PM. The games will be broadcast on ESPN3. Go to WatchESPN.com and log on to ESPN3 to watch!
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!