Auburn, AL – June 18, 2016 – The second stop of the 2016 NPF College Tour ended with a 5-0 win for the USSSA Pride who split the series against the PA Rebellion in their 2016 home opener.
Following three scoreless innings, Sierra Romero started things off for the Pride with a lead off home run in the bottom of the fourth, the first of her professional career.
With one out, Chelsea Goodacre doubled to left center then advanced to third following a ground out by Jessica Garcia. Missy Taukeiaho then reached on a throwing error and advanced to second but not before Goodacre scored from third to put the Pride up 2-0.
Following the two run deficit, Dallas Escobedo entered the game for Weiman and stopped the scoring at two with an inning ending strikeout.
In the bottom of the sixth, Chelsea Goodacre reached on an error by the Rebellion second baseman. With no outs, Goodacre stole second and placed herself in scoring position. Pinch hitter GiOnna DiSalvatore, in for Garcia, followed suit with a hard hit single to right field that put runners on the corners.
Missy Taukeaiho then stepped up to the plate and followed with her own RBI single to right center that scored Goodacre from third to put the Pride up 3-0. Taukeaiho then advanced to second on a wild pitch. With one out, Megan Wiggins got her third hit of the night to score DiSalvatore and put the Pride up by 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th.
Haylie Wagner then entered the game relieving Dallas Escobedo with one out. Wiggins then stole second and Kelly Kretschman followed with a sacrifice fly to left to score Taukeahio to put the Pride up by five. The inning ended with a ground out by Pendley but it was enough for the Pride to earn the 5-0 win.
Following six full innings and 24 batters faced, Jolene Henderson kept the Rebellion to five hits and struck out seven batters to earn her second win of the season. Jordan Taylor entered to close out the game in the 7th, shutting down Rhodes, Arion and Stephens in order to secure the Pride win.
It was also big night for player of the game Megan Wiggins who stood out defensively with a great diving catch out in center. A play we’ve seen a few times from Wiggins in the past but nonetheless great to witness.
Jade Smith caught up with Megan Wiggins following the game to discuss the catch and had this to say:
“I just had to figure out if it was going to be on my feet or if I was gonna have to dive for it, but yea I mean Jolene was doing a great job and you know our goal in the outfield is to not let anything drop to the ground so whatever we got to do to catch the ball I was prepared to do it,” Wiggins commented.
Wiggins also led the Pride offensively going 3-4 on the night and has been very consistent so far this season.
“Just put the ball in play, something hard, just seeing good pitches that I can hit hard and play and you know just keeping it simple: singles, doubles, you know just taking advantage of missed plays miscommunications, just hustling and being aggressive,” Wiggins said about her approach on the night.
With the win, the Pride improve to 6-2 on the season. Catch the Pride next in Pennsylvania where they will face the Rebellion at CONSOL Energy Park in a three game series.
Player of the game:
Megan Wiggins
Final Score:
USSSA Pride: 5
Pennsylvania Rebellion: 0
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