WASHINGTON, Pa. – (By: Jason Lowenthal) In what was nearly a mirror image of last night’s ballgame, the Bandits were on the winning side this time around, topping the Pennsylvania Rebellion by a 5-4 final in nine innings, Sunday afternoon at CONSOL Energy Park.
After the Bandits (20-22) scraped across a third inning run to open up scoring, the Rebellion responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame, as they did in Saturday’s game. Pennsylvania (14-27) added an insurance run in the following inning to extend the lead to 3-1, but as they did in Saturday’s narrow loss, the Bandits fought back to even the score at three.
Brittany Cervantes (2-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 SF) delivered a sacrifice fly, her second of the game, cutting the deficit to one run and Amanda Kamekona (1-for-4, 2 RBI) roped an RBI-single to left-center to even the score. However, in similar fashion to the series opener, the Rebellion did not succumb to the comeback, taking their second lead of the game on an RBI-single from Lexie Elkins (1-for-4, RBI) in the bottom half of the inning.
Kamekona’s sacrifice fly to right with one out in the seventh scored NPF hits leader Jill Barrett (2-for-4, R, SB) to knot the game up at 4-4 in the seventh and Shelby Turnier, who entered in relief of Angel Bunner (ND, 6.0 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 K), sent it to extras by striking out the side.
Following a scoreless eighth, the heart of the Bandits’ order delivered in the ninth, clinching a series (and season) split between the two teams in their final regular season meeting of 2016. Taylor Edwards (3-for-5) and Cervantes led off the frame with consecutive singles to put the potential go-ahead run on second base and Danielle Zymkowitz (1-for-5, GW-RBI) later came through with an RBI-single through the left side, plating the ultimate winning run.
Emily Weiman (L, 2-10) suffered the loss for the Rebellion, working 1.2 innings out of the bullpen while surrendering the winning run and three hits. Turnier (W, 5-4) won her third consecutive decision for the Bandits by tossing three scoreless frames, allowing just one hit while striking out five.
The 5-4 extra-inning thriller marked the end of a five-game road trip for the Bandits in which they compiled a 3-2 mark. They will return home to The Ballpark at Rosemont on Wednesday night for the final home series of the season. First pitch against the league-leading USSSA Pride is set for 7:05 p.m.
About the Chicago Bandits
Since 2005, the Chicago Bandits have been members of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league. Located in Rosemont, the Bandits provide an opportunity for female fastpitch players to further their careers at a professional level, and the roster has included such names as Jennie Finch, Stacy May-Johnson, Emily Allard and Tammy Williams. The three-time NPF Champions, who are owned by Bill Sokolis, play at The Ballpark at Rosemont, the only stadium in the country built for a women’s professional team. The 2016 season will be the Bandits 12th season in the NPF.
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 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.
