ESPN Game
USSSA Pride 3 , Bandits 2
Orlando, FL—In the first game of a double header at ESPN Wide World of Sports, the USSSA Pride sent Cat Osterman to the mound to battle Chicago Bandits ace Monica Abbot to start the first of a 2 game contest was featured on ESPN 2 in front of a live audience of just under 4000 fans and hundreds of thousands viewing across the country from home.
It was a great choice as the USSSA Pride edged the Bandits in a 3-2 victory, a game that went 10 innings and instituted the international tie breaker. The second game was a different story as it that would feature all Chicago offense and bring them to their first win of the 2011 season, winning 3-0.
The contest remained quiet until the fourth when the Pride had runners on first and second in Jenn Salling and Andrea Duran. Salling was called upon to run for Kelly Kretschman who reached on a fielders choice earlier in the inning. Pride head coach then called upon Monica Abbot’s former Tennessee teammate Tonya Callahan to pinch hit for Megan Willis. The first two Pride runs then came on a 2 RBI single by Tonya Callahan to give the Pride a 2-0 lead through 4 innings.
The Pride had an opportunity to put more runs on the board in the 5th inning when they had the bases loaded with 1 out, but Monica Abbot managed to get a fielders choice and then followed it up with managing to get Pride first basemen Charlotte Morgan to fly out to right, stranding 3 runners and ending the inning.
The Bandits big inning came in the 6th when Jamee Juarez singled in Lexie Jager who had been brought in earlier in the inning to pinch run for. Shannon Doepking followed up immediately after with an RBI double to score Juarez, making it a tie ball game.
The Pride/ Bandits showcase on ESPN continued from that point on all the way to the 10th inning. At this point an international tiebreaker rule was put into effect so the Pride started with Natasha Watley on second base to start off the bottom of the 10th inning.
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!
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