TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – (By: Jason Lowenthal) The Chicago Bandits got a power surge from an unlikely source, Monday night at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as Jill Barrett’s three-run homer ignited an 11-5 win in game two of the 2016 NPF Championship Series against the USSSA Pride. Thanks to Barrett’s timely blast, her first of the season, the Bandits forced a decisive, winner-take-all game three tomorrow night to determine who captures the 2016 Cowles Cup.
Trailing by a run entering the bottom of the fourth, the Bandits strung together a pair of hits leading off the inning before Natalie Hernandez (1-for-1, SH) laid down a sacrifice bunt to put two runners in scoring position. Run-scoring base hits from Kristen Brown (2-for-4, RBI, R) and Emily Carosone (1-for-3, RBI, R) followed to put the Bandits ahead, setting the stage for Barrett’s three-run shot, which ultimately proved to be the game-winning hit. For Brown, it was her ninth consecutive appearance against the Pride in which she hit safely.
Barrett (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R), who was acquired over the offseason from the Akron Racers via trade, uncorked a 2-1 pitch to right-center to propel the Bandits into a 6-2 lead. It was just the fourth home run of her three-year professional career, and her first round-tripper as a Bandit. It could not have come at a better time.
However, the Pride fought their way back into the game, tallying three runs of their own in the fourth to creep within one run. Rookie right-hander Shelby Turnier, still yet to surrender an earned run in the postseason, replaced Bandits’ starter Michelle Gascoigne (W, 1-1, 4.1 IP, 5 R, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 K) with one out in the fifth and managed to stop the bleeding to keep the Bandits’ one-run advantage intact.
Turnier went on to work the final 2.2 innings of the ballgame, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out a pair and picking up the save. Her teammates backed her up at the plate, scoring twice in the fifth and three more times in the sixth frame to take a commanding 11-5 lead.
Brittany Cervantes’ (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI) sixth-inning three-run shot to left-center off USSSA’s Hannah Rogers eventually put the game out of reach. It was the third home run of the game for the Bandits, following Barrett’s three-run blast and a solo shot from Taylor Edwards (1-for-3, HR, RBI, BB), which gave the Bandits an early lead.
Ten different Bandits recorded hits in the ballgame, including five with multi-hit efforts (Barrett, Cervantes, Zymkowitz, Brown).
The third and final game of the 2016 NPF Championship Series between the Bandits and Pride will be played tomorrow night. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST on CBS Sports Network with Eric Collins and Barbara Jordan on the call.
