Photo by Jade Hewitt Courtesy of National Pro Fastpitch
Conroe, TX –June 13, 2016—Teamwork came up big for the Pride, in game one of Monday’s double header, as they took Game 3 in their four-game series against the Scrap Yard Dawgs. Jolene Henderson got the win after nearly throwing a complete game, holding the Dawgs to one run in the 7-2 win.
Shelby Pendley’s bat showed up for the Pride in the first half of the night’s double-header. Pendley drove in three runs on two hits and a sacrifice fly. Pendley brought her defensive game as well, pitching in on a relay throw to cut down a runner headed home in the fifth inning.
The Pride scored in every inning until the sixth. They started hot, picking up three in the first inning off of RBI hits for Pendley (1) and Kristi Merritt (2).
The Dawgs scored in the second inning on a Pride attempt to catch Christian Stokes stealing second. The throw got away and Nerissa Myers took home. Scrap Yard would not score again until the seventh when Taylor Fuller (2-3, 2B, HR) hit a homerun over the left field fence.
Pendley’s second RBI of the game came in the second inning. Another came in the third when Merritt bunted and caused an error by the Dawgs, sending the runner on first all the way to home. Pendley did it again in the fourth, knocking in Kelly Kretschman, who had hit a triple just before. The Pride’s final run came in the fifth on an RBI double from Hallie Wilson.
Megan Wiggins was named Player of the Game after a perfect 3-3 effort. “Everything right now is firing on all cylinders. It’s a long season so we gotta just make sure we keep working hard,” she said of the dominant effort that the Pride have made so far this series. She adds, “It just shows what we can do and the versatility of our lineup.”
In game two of Monday night’s double header, Scrap Yard took an early lead in the first that started with two back to back walks issued by rookie Kelsey Nunley in her first professional start. With two runners on, Nunley struck out Nerissa Myers to put two away but Amanda Fama kept the inning alive with an RBI single that put the Dawgs up 1-0.
Renee Erwin then drew another walk to load the bases with Christian Stokes at the plate. Stokes took an inside pitch on the arm to bring in the first unearned run of the inning and put the Dawgs up 2-0. Lexi Overstreet then stepped up to the plate and drew walk number four to put the Dawgs up 3-0. With two outs, Keilani Ricketts entered the game for Nunley but it wasn’t enough to stop the Dawgs from scoring a few more.
Vonk continued the carnage with a hard ground ball to second that was overthrown at first to score two more and put the Dawgs up by five. With a 5-0 lead, Emily Crane singled to left field to bring in run number six but the Pride ended the inning with a defensive play at home.
The Pride battled back in the top of the 4th, starting with a bunt single from Kelly Kretschman, who went 2-3 on the night. Pride first baseman, GiOnna DiSalvatore came through with an RBI single that scored Kretschman to bring the Pride within five (1-6) but it wasn’t enough.
Nunley re-entered the game in the bottom of the 4th inning and held the Dawgs to six runs but earned the loss. Despite the game four loss, the Pride took the series against the Scrap Yard Dawgs and will continue their season tonight in McKinney.
The Pride will be taking on the Dallas Charge tonight and tomorrow night in McKinney for a two-game series before they head to play in their first home opener hosted by Mississippi State and Auburn on June 17th and 18th.
Final Score:
Game One: USSSA Pride: 7 Scrap Yard Dawgs: 3
Game Two: USSSA Pride: 1 Scrap Yard Dawgs: 6
Player of the Game
Game One: Megan Wiggins
Game Two: Monica Abbott
Box Score
Overall Record
USSA Pride: 3-1
FOLLOW YOUR PRIDE
dev.usssapride.com
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.
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