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ROSEMONT, Ill. – Two Rookies made their first start in the final game of a four game set vs the Bandits. In the circle for the Bandits was Meagan Denny-White vs Brittany Mack for the USSSA Florida Pride.  Mack just arriving from LSU where she lead the Tigers to the Women’s College World series, she was also the top selection in the 2012 NPF draft.
Denny-White started off strong for the Bandits, keeping the Pride off base in the first inning and recorded one strikeout.
Mack also recorded a strikeout, against the first batter she faced, Amber Patton.  The Bandits Megan Wiggins opened up the hitting in the game, hitting a double to center field.  Alisa Goler followed up Wiggins with a double of her own which brought in Wiggins to give the Bandits a 1-0 lead.
Mack put up another strikeout to end the inning, but for the third time in the series, the Bandits came out of the first inning with at least one run.
The Pride answered in the second inning as Kristyn Sandberg hit a double deep to the wall allowing the Pride to bat in Kelly Kretschman from first to tie the game.
The Bandits came right back in the bottom of the inning with Danielle Zymkowitz and Amanda Williams getting on base.  Patton then came up and brought home Zymkowitz for the 2-1 Bandits lead.
The Pride wouldn’t give up in the third as Kelsey Bruder hit a double to right field to put Jen Salling on third.  Caitlin Lowe then stepped up to the plate and hit one that glanced off Tammy Williams’ glove allowing Salling to advance home to tie the game up again.
The Bandits bats were still hot in the third as Wiggins was knocked in by Goler’s second double of the game to give the Bandits a 3-2 edge.  As the Pride tried to throw out Wiggins at home, Goler advanced to third and was then brought home as Kristen Butler floated a hit to left field for the 4-2 lead.
In the fourth the Pride looked threatening with runners on first and second, but the Bandits were able to hold the Pride to keep the 4-2 lead.
Throughout the game, both teams continued to make spectacular defensive plays including Zymkowitz’s catch in left field which she threw home just in time for Butler to tag out the runner for the double play.  Other great plays included the Pride’s Andrea Duran snagging a ball out of the air as it flew over her head down the third baseline which she turned to first for the double play and Wiggins’ catch which she jumped into the wall to make, robbing the Pride’s Bruder of a homerun.
In the end, the Bandits increased the lead to 5-2 and would win in Denny-White’s first NPF start. The Bandits won three out of the four games in the series against the Pride to open up the season.
The Pride travel to Corpus Christi next weekend for their home opener vs the Akron Racers. For tickets and information go to dev.usssapride.com
·         Attendance for the game was 834
·         Brittany Cervantes’ double was her first hit in the NPF
Meagan Denny-White (CHI): 7.0IP, 5H, 2R, 2K, 2BB
Brittany Mack (USSSA): 5.2IP, 9H, 5R, 3K, 5BB
Jamme Juarez (USSSA): 0.1IP, 0H, 0R, 0K, 1BB
Alisa Goler (CHI): 2-2, 2 2B, 2RBI
Megan Wiggins (CHI): 2-3, 2B, 2R
Kristyn Sandberg (USSSA): 2-3, 2B, RBI
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.
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.
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!