Glory Slug, Pitch Their Way To The Top
July 25, 2008 - National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
Washington Glory News Release
The Washington Glory, the 2007 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) champions, hold the best record in the league (21-11) this season and will be challenged by the second-place Philadelphia Force (19-11) Friday-Monday at the Westfield Sports Complex. First pitch is at 7:05 for all four contests.
Their powerful lineup has produced the top three homerun hitters in the league. Oli Keohohou leads the league with nine bombs, setting a new NPF career homerun mark along the way. Rookie Courtney Bures (Haymarket) has eight and Sara Larquier is tied for 3rd place with seven.
"Our hitters have been very impressive this season and they have helped set the tone for this championship defense," said team owner Paul Wilson. "However, on the other side of the coin, our pitching has been just as dominant."
League wins and ERA leader Sarah Pauly (10-2, 1.12) has led the way, with 88 strikeouts in 87.2 innings and nine complete games. Last year's NPF Pitcher of the Year Desiree Serrano (8-5, 2.65) threw a perfect game earlier this season, while continuing to dominate batters.
The Washington Glory entered the four game series against the Rockford Thunder in second place overall behind the Philadelphia Force. After taking three of four from the Thunder, the Glory now stand alone atop the NPF standings with an overall record of 21-11.
The Glory opened the series against Rockford and immediately made their presence known with their bats. Oli Keohohou and Amber Jackson went a combined 4 for 6 with three runs and four RBIs. Catalina Morris also added a solo shot for the Glory. Taryne Mowatt and Sarah Pauly combined to pitch seven innings of one hit ball, striking out seven in the Glory's 5-1 win.
The Glory were unable to maintain the momentum going into Friday night's game. The Rockford Thunder's offensive explosion overwhelmed Glory pitchers Lisa Ferguson and Desiree Serrano. Four Thunder players had multi-hit games on the way to a 7-2 victory over the Glory. Oli Keohohou hit her 8th home run of the season during the game. The final two games of the four game series were close, one run games; both of which were won by the Glory. On Saturday, with the aid of Sarah Pauly's arm and Oli Keohohou's bat, the Glory were able to overcome an early deficit and emerge victorious by a final score of 3-2.
On Sunday, the series finale, the Thunder and Glory battled till the very end. Jessica Moore homered to dead center in the second inning to give the Glory an early lead. The Glory's 1-0 lead was good until the Thunder tied the game up in the 6th inning. In the bottom of the 6th, the Glory regained the lead only to see the Thunder tie it up again in the top of the 7th. The Glory responded in the bottom of 7th when Amber Jackson, 2007 NPF MVP, got the game winning, walk-off hit when she singled to right field, scoring Courtney Bures.
• Discuss this story on the National Pro Fastpitch message board...
National Pro Fastpitch Stories from July 25, 2008
- Force knocks off Glory - Philadelphia Force
- Chicago Bandits defeat New England Riptide 2-1 - Chicago Bandits
- Riptide bow out in opener - New England Riptide
- Philly Force-Cast added to homepage - Philadelphia Force
- Come Meet the Chicago Bandits Broadcasters - Chicago Bandits
- Raptors and Thunder Announce 2nd Annual Play Day - Rockford Thunder
- Glory Slug, Pitch Their Way To The Top - Washington Glory
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
