Marion, IL (June 9, 2019) – The Canadian Wild of Southern Illinois clinched a series win against the USSSA Pride on Sunday night at Rent One Field with a 5-2 come from behind victory in the fourth game of the five game series between the two teams.
The Wild got out to an early lead thanks to a double off the bat of Joey Lye in the third inning. With runners on first and second, Lye doubled to right field, scoring Emma Entzminger from second.
That lead held up for the Wild until the fifth when an error put Allexis Bennett on to lead off the inning, and Amanda Lorenz followed up by blasting a home run over the right field fence.
The Wild’s offence came alive in the sixth to give them the lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Lye singled to left to start off the inning. Erika Polidori followed that up by reaching on a throwing error by the Pride that allowed Lye to make her way to third and Polidori advanced to second. Salling came to the plate and lined a double to right center, scoring two runs to give the Wild a 3-2 lead.
Not content with a one-run lead, Holly Speers added a double of her own to score Salling from third. Kaleigh Rafter tacked on another run with a two-out single, and the Wild finished the fifth with four runs and a 5-2 lead that would stand up in the win.
It was a bounce-back performance from Danielle Lawrie, who was making her second appearance of the season for the Wild. She went five innings, striking out four while allowing five hits, two runs (one earned) and no walks. She had to work around traffic in multiple innings, but was able to pitch her way out of it until the Lorenz homer in the fifth. Morgan Rackel started the sixth in relief, and continued her dominant start to the season in relief. Rackel pitched two full innings, with no runs, one hit and one strikeout.
The final game of the series between the Wild and the Pride is set for Monday night, with first pitch from Rent One Park at 6:35 p.m. CT.
About National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), an Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball since 2004, provides elite female athletes with an opportunity to pursue a professional career in fastpitch softball beyond their collegiate and amateur success. The NPF affiliate teams consist of the Aussie Peppers of Minnesota, Beijing Shougang Eagles, Canadian Wild of Southern Illinois, Chicago Bandits, Cleveland Comets, and USSSA Pride. National Pro Fastpitch players hail from the United States, Australia, Canada, China, and Mexico, and represent the most accomplished and talented athletes in the sport of women’s softball.