In National Pro Fastpitch women's professional softball action last night, the Chicago Bandits defeated the USSSA Florida Pride by a score of 5-1. Eileen Canney's pitching and a balanced offensive attack, enabled the Bandits to even the series and extend their lead over the Pride to four games, three in the loss column, in the NPF standings.Canney (2-4) pitched the entire seven innings and made only one mistake all night long, a fastball that the Pride's Kelly Kretschman (Alabama) deposited over the right centerfield fence for a solo home run that ruined the her shutout bid.
The Bandits broke on top in the second inning on an RBI single from shortstop Christine Knauer (North Carolina) that scored pinch runner Amberly Waits (Louisiana Tech). Chicago added two more tallies in the third on a clutch two-out, two run base hit from Angela Findlay, which scored Emily Friedman (California) and Jennie Finch (Arizona). Chicago added insurance runs in the fourth, as Knauer scored on an error by Pride third baseman Andrea Duran (UCLA), and in the fifth as Amber Patton's (DePaul) RBI triple plated Caitlin Lever with the final run for the home team.
Sarah Pauly took the loss for the USSSA Florida Pride, who fell to 22-18, while the first-place Bandits recorded their 27th victory of the season against 15 defeats.
The teams play a doubleheader on Saturday night, with the first game starting at 6:00 PM Central Time at Dell Diamond, the home of the Houston Astro's AAA Affiliate, the Round Rock Express. The series concludes with a matinee at 3:00 PM CT on Sunday afternoon.