AKRON, OH – (6/26/2016) The Akron Racers couldn’t solve USSSA Pride starting pitcher Hannah Rogers, who held the Akron Racers lineup to just one run and helped the Pride edge out a 4-1 win on Sunday afternoon at Firestone Stadium.
Pride right fielder Kelly Kretschman opened the scoring in the top of the first inning by sending a solo home run over the fence in deep right field to give her team the early 1-0 lead. One run innings became the theme for USSSA (12-3) as they put up four of them during the ballgame.
“I think in the league in general, scoring first is huge,” Racers field manager Brian Levin said. “I know earlier in the year when we scored first we won eight out of nine games, so that’s huge.”
The Racers (9-7) fell into a first inning deficit for the second consecutive game, putting added pressure on a lineup that has only mustered up 10 combined hits in two games against USSSA.
USSSA backed up the one-run first inning with another run in the second frame. Pride second baseman Amanda Kamekona plated Chelsea Goodacre for the 2-0 advantage. In the top of the third inning, Pride third baseman Missy Taukeiaho scored Kretschman, who had reached base on an error by Akron first baseman Sam Fischer. The hit pushed the score to 3-0 in favor of the Pride.
After the third inning, Racers starting pitcher Jailyn Ford (James Madison) began to settle in as she retired the next six hitters that she faced, which kept the Pride lineup at bay for two innings.
She let in just one run through the final four innings. In a complete game effort, Ford allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out five batters in the process.
Akron designated player Geri Ann Glasco (Oregon) blasted her first professional home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the fifth inning in an effort to jumpstart her team’s offense that hadn’t scored a run in the previous eight innings going back to last night. However, this was the only offense that the Racers mustered up all evening.
“Losing is never fun, but it was nice to get out there and let go of everything that happened before and finally break open the hits and help the team out in whatever way I could,” Glasco said. “Obviously, we are not settled here and we want to come out and play better tomorrow and get a win.”
The Racers have now dropped two straight games after going 4-1 on their five game road trip.
“We have to attack and we are not.,” Akron third baseman Kelley Montalvo said. “We are getting too passive and the pitchers are getting ahead, so it’s easy to be in the box and up 2-0. I think we need to attack early and be more aggressive at the plate.”
Rogers was in control in her 5.2 innings pitched allowing just one run on four hits, which bumped her season record up to 3-1.
These two teams will take a short road trip to the University of Michigan as they square off again tomorrow evening at 6:30 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The contest can be seen on the CBS Sports Network.
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About the Akron Racers: The Akron Racers, headquartered in Akron, OH, are the oldest existing team in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league, celebrating their 15th Season of Play in 2016. 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.
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.
