Kissimmee, FL—August 8, 2016—Chelsea Goodacre was unstoppable in the USSSA Pride’s final regular season series opener of 2016. Goodacre went 3-3 with three home runs off of three different Akron pitchers. Of her team’s seven runs, Goodacre scored three of them and brought in five.
Things started off hot in the first inning. After putting herself on with a walk, Megan Wiggins was thrown out stealing during Kelly Kretschman’s at-bat. Kretschman then picked up a base hit in front of Shelby Pendley, who then hit a two-run home run to give the Pride a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The first Pride batters got on base. Hallie Wilson followed Pendley’s home run with a walk, which set up Goodacre for her first bomb of the night.
Goodacre’s next homer of the night came with the same circumstances—Wilson on base, no outs. She ripped a pitch into left-center field to bring in her second and third RBI of the night. Her next home run was a solo shot to center field in the seventh inning after being hit on the elbow in her previous plate appearance.
The Racers scored all three of their runs in the third inning. With a two-out, 2 RBI double and a solo home run from AJ Andrews, Akron looked as though they might stage an uphill comeback from their 6-0 hole. However, starting pitcher Jolene Henderson was able to get out of it after giving up all three earned runs.
Henderson pitched three innings. She allowed three earned runs on five hits while striking out two and walking one. Kelsey Nunley relieved her. She also threw three innings. She struck out four, walked one and scattered three hits in 13 batters faced. Jordan Taylor closed out the game, earning one strikeout in just three batters faced.
The series continues tomorrow, August 9, in Akron. Game two will again be shown on CBS Sports Net at 7:00 PM (ET).
POWERHANDZ Player of the Game
Chelsea Goodacre 3-3, 3 HR, 5 RBI
Final Score
USSSA Pride: 7
Akron Racers: 3
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
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