Ole Miss Falls To NPF All-Stars
OXFORD, Miss. – In a game featuring some of softball’s best players, Ole Miss dropped an exhibition contest to the National Fast Pitch All-Star team on Sunday by a score of 15-0 in five innings at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
Featuring former collegiate stars such as Cat Osterman, Vicky Galindo, Charlotte Morgan, Kelly Kretschman and Francesca Enea, Team NPF visited Oxford as part of the NPF “Back To School – College Tour”.
“This was a great experience for our team,” said Ole Miss head coach Missy Dickerson. “It was great for our team, great for Ole Miss and great for fans of softball. We got to play against some of the best players in the world and the fans really turned out to support this event.”
Former All-American Cat Osterman started in the circle for Team NPF and struck out seven batters in 3.0 innings. She allowed only one hit and did not issue a walk. Senior Brittany Barnhill recorded the only hit off of Osterman for the Rebels in the second on a sharp single back up the middle.
Team NPF jumped on the scoreboard in the top of the first with four runs highlighted by a three-run homer to center by outfielder Rachel Mitchell. The All-Stars added seven more runs in the third aided by a pair of two-run doubles from left fielder Francesca Enea and shortstop Vicky Galindo.
Mitchell paced the All-Stars at the plate with three hits, three runs scored and four RBI, while Galindo added four RBI and Kretschman knocked in three runs.
Barnhill started in the circle for Ole Miss and gave up only two earned runs in 2.0 innings of work. She struck out one and walked two batters. Lindsey Perry entered in the third and allowed four runs on five hits. Junior Kendall Bruning worked the final 2.0 innings and gave up six hits and four runs.
The NPF “Back To School – College Tour” presented by USSSA will make over 15 stops on college campuses across the United States competing against some of the nation’s best college programs in their fall seasons. Team NPF is comprised of athletes from all four of the NPF Teams (Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, Tennessee Diamonds and USSSA Florida Pride) and includes an accomplished list of competitors.
The tour kicked off on Sept. 10 in Memphis, Tenn., and will culminate on Nov. 15 in Daytona Beach, Fla. NPF will make stops at Missouri-Kansas City, Missouri Western, Nebraska, Arizona, New Mexico State, UTEP, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Tulsa, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida State, Florida, San Diego State, Texas, and Daytona Beach in the weeks to come.
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!