Kissimmee, FL—July 7, 2016—The USSSA Pride will hit the next stop on their college tour this weekend. They’ll stop by Fowler Park at the University of San Diego as they face the Dallas Charge on Friday (July 8) and Saturday (July 9).
The Pride start the series coming off of a two-game sweep of the Chicago Bandits. With the two wins earlier in the week, they moved to 17-3 on the season.
In mid-June the Pride played the Charge in a two-game series. They took both games, having yet to be defeated by Dallas. The Pride won both games by three runs. They’ll look to repeat their previous wins this coming weekend.
Series Schedule
Friday, June 8, 10:00 PM (ET)
Saturday, June 8, 10:00 PM (ET)
Pride players to watch:
- Kirsti Merritt: In her last two games against the Bandits, Merrit batted .400 with three runs, all in the final game—which the Pride won 13-10. Not only reliable offensively, Merritt made key catches in left field, keeping the Bandits offense at bay and not allowing them to create momentum.
- Kelly Kretschman: Batting .625 (5-8) in this season’s games against the Charge, Kretschman will likely continue her MVP-like behavior. With two home runs in a single game in the first series, Kretschman poses a serious threat to Dallas pitchers.
- Sierra Romero: The collegiate Player of the Year is picking up offensive steam. With 48 at-bats (one of the fewest of the everyday players) she is batting .375 in 15 games played. She is slugging .729 with four home runs and 15 RBI (good for second on the team).
- Jordan Taylor: With the second-lowest ERA on the team, Taylor has become extremely reliable in relief. She is 1-0 with four saves, and she’s given up just seven hits to go along with only four walks on the season. Keeping runners off the base paths is key to winning games, and she will likely create problems for the Dallas offense.
Charge players to watch
- Lauren Haeger: A rare threat on both the defensive and offensive ends, Haeger leads the team in RBI (18), doubles (t-3), home runs (t-5) and total bases (36). She also leads the pitching staff with a 3.23 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 56.1 innings pitched.
- Kylee Lahners: Leading the team in slugging (.612), doubles (t-3) and home runs (t-5). Lahners is consistently one of the most threatening batters in the Dallas lineup.
TICKET INFO
Tickets to this series can be purchased online or at the gate. Prices are between $5 and $10. Tickets to Friday’s contest can be purchased here, and tickets to Saturday’s game can be purchased here. Visit the ticket page on the University of San Diego website or call JCP Ticket Office at (619) 260-7550 for more information.
BROADCAST INFO
Subscribers can view all four games of the Pride-Scrap Yard Dawgs series on NPFTV via profastpitch.com.
LIVE STATS
Live stats links for this weekend’s games can be found on the NPF schedule page.
FOLLOW THE PRIDE
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