AKRON, Ohio – For the second consecutive season, the Chicago Bandits finished the year as regular season champions and clinched the #1 seed heading into playoffs with a league-best 27-12 record. The Akron Racers awaited the conclusion of the regular season and finished in second place with a 26-14 mark after taking four games out of five against the league-leading Chicago Bandits in Elgin, Ill.
Cat Osterman, arguably the biggest roadblock for Chicago en route to their first place finish, suffered her first loss on the year, dropping to 11-1 as the Rockford Thunder solidified the #3 playoff slot with a 19-21 record. The USSSA Pride dashed the Philadelphia Force’s playoff hopes in Allentown, Pa. with a 3-2 series to clinch the final slot to Akron with a 15-24 record.
Schedule of Games and Ticket Information:
Thursday, August 20th marks the opening of the Championship Series. Gates will open at 3:00 pm.
Playoff Game #1 - 6:00 pm: #1 Seed Chicago Bandits vs. #4 Seed USSSA Pride
Playoff Game #2 - approx. 8:45 pm: #2 Seed Akron Racers vs. #3 Seed Rockford Thunder
Friday, August 21st: Gates open at 3:00 pm
Playoff Game #3 - 6:00 pm: Chicago Bandits vs. USSSA Pride (Home Team)
Playoff game #4 - approx. 8:45 pm: Akron Racers vs. Rockford Thunder
Ticket Prices for Thursday and Friday:
- Stadium Seating: $13 a session (includes 2 games)
- Cambria Suites Bleachers/Terrace Seating: $14 a session (includes 2 games)
- VIP Seating: $15 a session (includes 2 games)
Saturday, August 22nd:
Playoff Game #5 - 1 pm
: tie-breaker between the #1 and #4 seeds (if necessary)
Playoff Game #6 - approx. 4 pm: tie-breaker between the #2 and #3 seeds (if necessary)
Tickets for ‘if necessary’ games will not go on sale until SATURDAY morning at 9:00 am with gates opening at 10:00 am.and will be priced accordingly:
$7/$13 - Stadium Seating/Cambria Suites Bleachers/Terrace Seating (one game/two games)
$8/$14 - VIP Seating (one game/two games)
Championship Game #1 - approx. 7:00 pm
Sunday, August 23rd: Gates will open at 9:00 am
Championship Game #2 - 1 pm
(
FINALS) - 4:00 pm (TIE-BREAKER if necessary)
Tickets for the Championship games will be priced as follows for EACH game:
$8 - Stadium Seating/Cambria Suites Bleachers/Terrace Seating
$9 - VIP Seating
A post-game trophy and championship MVP Award Presentation will follow upon conclusion of the championship game with the Cowles Cup being presented to the 2009 NPF Champion.
How to Watch
Fans unavailable to make the trip to Akron, Ohio to catch the Championship Series in person can tune in from home. All games will be streamed via profastpitch.com thanks to NPF’s partnership with MLB.com. Bernie Guenther will handle the play-by-play action. Live statistics will also be available via Gametracker. Go to the “Live-Games” page for Broadcast and Gametracker links.
TICKETS:
To purchase tickets, call the Akron Racers Box Office at 330-376-8188 or go
Ticket Return.com.
Major League Baseball – Official Development Partner
Major League Baseball is the Official Development Partner of National Pro Fastpitch in the category of women's professional fastpitch softball. The partnership, which began the fall of 2002, is part of The Commissioner's Initiative on Women and Baseball, a league-wide effort to help Major League Baseball and the 30 Major League Clubs build stronger relationships with female audiences.
About National Pro Fastpitch
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. 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 Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL).
