Kelly Kretschman Photo by Ryan Breiding Courtesy of National Pro Fastpitch
Allentown, PA-June 24, 2016- It was a great night for professional fast pitch at Coca-Cola Park Thursday night. USSSA and the Pennsylvania put on another hard fought contest in the first of two match-ups between the Pride and Rebellion in Allentown, PA.
In front of a crowd of 3,144 fans, the Pride managed to take the come-from-behind-win over the Pennsylvania Rebellion with a final score of 6-3.
Following three scoreless innings, Kristyn Sandberg kicked off the Rebellion offense in the fourth with a one-out single to left, she advanced to second on a stolen base then was joined at first by Alexa Peterson who drew the walk to place two runners on. Both runners advanced on a passed ball with Stephens at the plate. Lindsey Stephens capitalized on the opportunity and singled to center to score Sandberg from third to put the Rebellion up 1-0. Pinch hitter, Mandy Ogle then stepped up to the plate and blasted a two-run single to the left side that put the Rebellion up 3-0.
The Pride answered back in the top of the 5th with a two-out single by Megan Wiggins. Kelly Kretschman followed suit with her own single to center that was followed with a double by Shelby Pendley that scored Wiggins to make it 3-1, Rebellion.
The Pride continued their run in the 6th with their second rally of the night. Pride rookie Sierro Romero started things off with a lead-off walk. Romero was followed by Kirsti Merritt who added a hard hit single to short and managed to beat out the throw at first to place two on with no outs. DP Lauren Chamberlain then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over and brought Missy Taukeiaho to the plate. With one out, Missy knocked in two with a solid hit up the middle to tie the ballgame at 3. Megan Wiggins then stepped up to the plate with two outs and singled to center. Kretschman then stepped up to the plate and singled to right to score pinch runner Kamekona and gave the Pride a 4-3 lead. The next play, Kretschman got a good jump and stole second while Megan Wiggins stole home to score one more and put the Pride up 5-3. Shelby Pendley then stepped up to the plate and got her second RBI single of the night to score Kretschman and put the Pride up 6-3.
Kelly Kretschman finished 2-for-3 with two singles, the game-winning RBI, and a stolen base. For that performance, Kretschman was awarded the honor of Powerhandz Player of the Game.
Defensively, three Pride pitchers were featured on the mound tonight. Starting pitcher Keilani Ricketts pitched through 4.1 and allowed 6 hits and struck out four batters. Hannah Rogers entered the game for Keilani Ricketts in the bottom of the 5th and struck out three in 1.2 innings pitched before Jordan Taylor came in to close the ball game. Taylor allowed one hit in the final inning before retiring the side.
With the win, the Pride improve to 9-3 and will conclude the series in Lehigh Valley tonight. First pitch is set for 7:05 PM (ET). Catch all of the action on NPFTV via profastpitch.com!
Final Score:
USSSA Pride: 6
PA Rebellion: 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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