USSSA Florida Pride Take Game One Against Tennessee Diamonds

Kissimmee, Fla. – After two series at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, the USSSA Florida Pride took to the field at the UCF Softball Complex to take on the Tennessee Diamonds in the season’s final series between the two teams before the NPF Championship Finals. In what remained a close contest throughout the evening, the Pride came away victorious in a 2-1 win.

Sarah Pauly started in the circle against Monica Abbott and took the win, allowing only one run on three hits and striking out five. Abbott shouldered the loss for the Diamonds, allowing two runs on three hits, also striking out five over the course of the game.

The Pride struck first in tonight’s contest, when Jessica Mendoza ripped a two-run home run past the center field wall in the bottom of the first, bringing in herself and Kelly Kretschman who had previously reached on a walk. The inning closed on a foul-out from Charlotte Morgan.

Chelsea Spencer responded for the Diamonds when she led-off the fourth inning with a solo home-run on the first pitch issued by Pauly. A double from Megan Gibson put the visiting team in position to score again but two quick outs from Chelsie Mesa and Loryn Johnson retired the side.

Throughout the final three innings, each team only recorded one additional hit; a single from Lauren Lappin in the bottom of the fifth for the Pride and a double from Gibson in the top of the seventh, but the Diamonds were unable to come back from the deficit.

The two teams take to the field again tomorrow night for game two of the five game series at the UCF Softball Complex. The game is slated to begin at 7:05 pm.

The USSSA Florida Pride joined the NPF as a franchise Team in November of 2009, operated by Florida Pride LLC. USSSA managed the Pride Team during 2009, culminating their inaugural season with a second place finish in the Championship Series. USSSA Florida Pride is sponsored by USSSA, the world’s largest amateur sports association, and is headquartered in Kissimmee, Florida.

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).