Game Recaps: Full Slate of NPF Action on Friday, July 19

July 20, 2019 - National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) News Release

USSSA Pride in the field
(USSSA Pride, Credit: USSSA Pride)

Cleveland, OH (July 19, 2019)- The Cleveland Comets pull off an impressive comeback win against the Eagles thanks to a gigantic grand slam from former Buckeye, Emily Clark.

The Comets got off to a hot start in the bottom of the first. After earning a walk, Tori Vidales scored on a clutch two-out triple, hit by Lilli Piper. Piper later advanced to home on the following at bat thanks to a passed ball.

After cruising for 3 innings in the circle, Taylor McQuillin ran into trouble in the 4^th. Kendall Veach led off the inning with a homerun to left field. Later in the inning, Xu Yi brought the game to a tie, scoring Ren Min on a two out single up the middle.

Veach came up big again in the top of 5^thdriving in Victoria Draper on a well placed single up the middle, giving the Eagles a 3-2 lead.

With two outs in the bottom of the 5^ththe Comets needed to rally. Vidales got things started with a single up the middle, followed by a line drive to left by Piper. The bases were loaded after Chelsea Gonzales was hit by a pitch on the next at-bat. Clark stepped up to the plate with the game on the line and delivered in the biggest way, driving a 3-1 fastball over the right field fence, giving the Comets a 6-3 lead.

Cheyanne Tarango and Sierra Hyland locked things down in the circle the rest of the way for the Comets, keeping the final score at 6-3, giving the Comets a win in game 1 of the series.

Play by Play

The Comets and Eagles will have a doubleheader on Saturday with game one beginning at 4:05 PM ET/3:05 CT.

O'Toole Wins Pitching Duel Against Parnaby as Bandits Edge Peppers, 1-0

ROSEMONT, Ill. (July 19, 2019)- Danielle O'Toole threw a complete four-hit shutout, leading the Bandits to a 1-0 victory to clinch a series win.

O'Toole and Peppers ace Kaia Parnaby were locked in a pitchers' duel right from the outset. Before the Bandits broke through, the biggest scoring chance came in the Peppers' half of the second. The visitors loaded the bases on a pair of two-out singles and an error, but Jessie Scroggins made a nice running catch on Leigh Godfrey's drive in right field to keep the game scoreless.

"That play is a game-changing play that Scroggins made in right field," Bandits Coach Lauren Lappin said. "I'm not sure that anyone else, other than Brenna [Moss], no one else on the field makes that play. That was a crucial point in the game."

Chicago put a pair of runners on base in the third, but Parnaby got Moss to ground back to the circle to escape. O'Toole retired seven in a row and worked around a leadoff single in the sixth, setting the stage for the Bandits to crack the scoreboard.

Alyssa DiCarlo led off with a walk and Clifton pinch-ran for her at first. With one out, Moss hit a line drive that Parnaby knocked down, but she could only get the out at first and Clifton advanced to second. Chidester then singled into center, and Clifton beat the throw to the plate to give Chicago the lead.

"We faced a fantastic pitcher, one of the best in the world, in Parnaby," Lappin said. "For us to figure out a way to scratch a run across on the board was huge. Chidester's a leader for us, so for her to have a composed at-bat and drive a ball up the middle was awesome."

O'Toole made sure the run stood up in the seventh, ending the game with her seventh strikeout of the night.

The Bandits improved to 8-0 in one-run games this season, which Lappin attributed to their strong pitching and defense.

"We've been playing great defense behind our pitchers, and our pitchers have been executing pitches with tight games on the line," Lappin said. "We feel good about our chances no matter what, but if we have a one-run lead going into the last inning, we're going to lock it down."

Play by Play

Chicago will look to complete the series on Saturday evening, with first pitch scheduled for 7:35 p.m. CT at Parkway Bank Sports Complex.

Recap credit: Benjamin Rosenberg

Wild Take Game Two from Pride

VIERA, FL. (July 19, 2019) The Pride squared off against the Canadian Wild for game two of the five games series.

The Wild found a way to start the game off right managing to put 3 runners on and pushing one across to take an early lead.

After a couple half innings of a pitcher showdown, Allexis Bennett found a way on base after a hit to left field. Bennett used her speed to steal third, where Kelly Kretschman was able to hit an RBI single up the middle to drive in Bennett in the bottom of the 3^rd.

After a scoreless 4^th Victoria Hayward squared one up off of Jolene Henderson in the top of the 5^th for a 2 run shot, giving the Wild a 3-1 lead over the Pride.

The Pride were unable to get anything going in the bottom of the 5^th and 6^th, and were unable to find a way to figure out the Wild pitching.

Down two in the bottom of the 7^th the Pride got some momentum with 2 outs after a Brittany Cervantes single up the middle. Megan Good also saw the light, and lined one into the left center gap for a double. That's as far as the Pride would get.

The Final score of the game was 1-3 Wild.

The Pride suffered their first loss of the series as the Wild even the series at 1.

In the circle for the Pride and suffering the loss was Jolene Henderson . Henderson went 5 innings letting up 6 hits and 3 ER, before Megan Good came in to finish out the 6^th and 7^th, letting up 1 hit.

Victoria Haywood of the Canadian Wild takes home our RIP-IT player of the game with a 2 run homer in the top of the fifth to give the Wild an edge over the Pride in game 2 of our 5 game series.

Quick Facts: Time: 1hr 37m

Recap credit: Lexi Betterman

Emily Clark at bat for the Cleveland Comets

USSSA Pride in the field (USSSA Pride)

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National Pro Fastpitch Stories from July 20, 2019

• Fico Fires Perfect Game as Bandits Complete Sweep of Peppers - Chicago Bandits
• Pride Win Double Header - USSSA Pride
• Game Recaps: Full Slate of NPF Action on Friday, July 19 - NPF

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