Racers Fall to Pride 8-4 in Back and Forth Thriller

Akron, OH– July 11, 2014-With Alison Owen in the circle, the Racers held the Pride scoreless through the first three innings. The Racers took advantage of the strong pitching and took the lead early, when Ashley Thomas singled in the third inning, and was driven in on Nerissa Myers’ single.

The Pride responded with three runs of their own in the fourth inning. Owen hit Kelly Kretschman with a pitch, and Kristen Sandberg reached on a fielder’s choice that allowed pinch runner Brejae Washington to advance to second. Amanda Kamekona then put the Pride on the board with a pinch hit, three run homerun. They would add another run in the fifth when Andrea Duran stole home.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Charlotte Morgan walked, and Brianna Cherry singled to left field, which set the table for Kelley Montalvo. Montalvo reached base on an error by Amanda Kamekona, which also allowed Cherry and Stephanie Tofft, who had entered the game to pinch run for Morgan, to score. Taylor Schlopy then singled to drive in Montalvo from second and tie the game.

The Pride answered in the seventh, with 4 more runs. An error by Myers allowed Caitlin Lowe to reach base, and GiOnna DiSalvatore’s single drove in the run. Duran then doubled, and Kretschman grounded out to second to drive in DiSalvatore. Kristen Sandberg added the final two runs of the game on a two run homerun to deep center field to put the Pride up 8-4.

Lisa Norris got the loss in the game, throwing 3.1 innings, and allowing five runs on seven hits, with no walks and a strikeout. Jordan Taylor got the win for the Pride, pitching the final 1.2 innings, and allowing only one run, on one hit, with no walks and a strikeout.

The box score can be found at: http://bit.ly/1m2kShJ

The Racers head to Berliner Park in Columbus, OH tomorrow to take on the Pride in the inaugural Akron Racers Classic at 8:05. They will be back in Akron on Monday, July 14 to play the Pride in a game that will be televised on CBS Sports Network. For more information or to order your tickets, visit www.akronracers.org or call 330-376-8188

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 Akron Racers
The Akron Racers, headquartered in Akron, OH, are the oldest existing team in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league. The Racers competed in the Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL) for two seasons in 1999 and 2000 and in the NPF since 2004. Historic Firestone Stadium is home to the Racers and numerous amateur events at all levels of play. The Racers kick-off their 13th season of play in 2014.

About National Pro Fastpitch
National Pro Fastpitch is headquarted 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 name 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.