USSSA Pride takes series opener against Czech Republic
USSSA Pride opened a 2-game series against Czech Republic with an 11-4 victory, before a packed house in Svoboda Park, in Prague. The National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) team exploded with eight runs in the fifth inning to secure the game.
USSSA Pride opened a 2-game series against Czech Republic with an 11-4 victory, before a packed house in Svoboda Park, in Prague. The National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) team exploded with eight runs in the fifth inning to secure the game. This was its third consecutive win of the European Pro Softball Series presented by WBSC.
USSSA Pride scored its first run in the top of the first inning, taking advantage of a dropped third strike. Veronika Peckova started the game with a walk and a hit by pitch, to put runners on first and second, and no outs; but then struck out the next two batters consecutively. In that situation, the right hander did her job and took Shelby Pendley out on strikes, but catcher Tereza Kubicova couldn’t control the third strike, and allowed Allexis Bennet to score from second.
However, Czech Republic answered immediately with a long, beautiful grand slam by Lucie Halakucova. After a quick first out, the host team hit three consecutive singles to load the bases, and Halakucova hit a monster shot to right-center field to take a 4-1 lead.
The Pride scored two more runs in the 3rd inning, even when they were hitless in the inning. Megan Wiggins reached on an error, and Sierra Romero got to first base after another dropped third strike. Then, both scored on a passed ball and a wild pitch respectively.
The NPF team took a huge and definitive lead in the top of the 5th, capitalizing 3 walks, 3 hits, and a few wild pitchs to put together a big inning and score 8 runs, for the final 11-4.
A 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fifth was the end for the first match in Czech Republic, with the third consecutive victory for USSSA Pride in European soil.
Today’s grand slam represents the first runs allowed for the Pride in the European Pro Softball Series presented by WBSC, since the blanked Italy in the first two games of the tour.
Before the game, USSSA Pride players took a training session with Czech Republic Junior National Team, to share their knowledge and experience with the younger players of the Czech program.
Tomorrow will be the second and last game of the series in Prague. The game is scheduled to start at 3 pm (9 am EDT), in Eagles Park.
