Kissimmee, FL—June 14, 2016—The Pride jumped on top early in the series opener against the Pride. They scored four in seven innings for the win to take a 4-1 lead in the series. Hannah Rogers was the winning pitcher, and Jordan Taylor came in to get the save.
Jessica Garcia got the scoring started in the second inning with a solo home run, her first and the second for the Pride on the season. The Pride went on to get at least one runner on base in every inning until the seventh. Sierra Romero, in just her second start of the season, knocked in two runs by hitting a two-run triple in the fifth. In the sixth, Kelly Kretschman drove in a run with a double that drove in Courtney Ceo.
The Charge attempted a comeback in the seventh. Down 4-1, Taylor Gadbois turned a Pride throwing error to an opportunity to score, hustling from home to third base. The Charge took advantage when Kylee Lahners hit a ground ball to shortstop, trading an out for a run. Scoring stopped there, as the Charge went down in order to end the game.
Rogers threw four strikeouts in 5.2 shutout innings for the Pride. Walking two, Rogers utilized her defense and allowed no earned runs in her win, keeping her ERA at 0.00.
In her 1.1 innings of relief, Taylor faced six batters and gave up just one hit. Like Rogers, Taylor utilized her defense in her five outs of play, striking out no batters.
Final Score:
USSSA Pride: 4
Dallas Charge: 1
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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 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.
About National Pro Fastpitch (NPF): National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), an Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball since 2002, provides elite female athletes with an opportunity to pursue a professional career in diamond sports beyond their collegiate success. The 2016 NPF season will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Coverage includes the NPF College Draft presented by Bownet on Thur., April 14, followed by 23 regular-season games, a Championship Series Preview Special and the 2016 NPF Championship Series. The NPF recently announced that the Scrap Yard Dawgs, located in The Woodlands, Texas, will join the Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, Dallas Charge, Pennsylvania Rebellion and USSSA Florida Pride for the 2016 season. National Pro Fastpitch players hail from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand, representing the most accomplished and talented athletes in the sport of women’s softball