Well this weekend was the last regular season series between the Pride and the Bandits(Thank God!) and it very well might go down as the weirdest yet! It started off Thursday night with Cat Osterman in the circle for the Pride and a whole mess of pitchers in the circle for the Bandits. The Pride offense had no problem with the pitchers the Bandits put out there and Cat Osterman pitched a very good game and the Pride won 9-0. To me that was the first weird thing of the weekend. In every other series this season the night Cat pitched, so did Monica. So I was very surprised when they went with someone else. Friday Sarah Pauly pitched for the Pride and Monica Abbott pitched for the Bandits. It was was a very close game but the Pride got the 2-1 victory. The Pride won this game on an error and then a sac fly, so that was one of the weird things about this game. The other weird thing was the only run the Bandits scored was on an illegal pitch by Sarah Pauly(something that has been an issue for her all season long and she was called for several times on Friday night). Saturday Danielle Lawrie was in the circle for the Pride and again a whole mess of pitchers for the Bandits. Danielle pitched a very good game. She gave up only 3 hits 2 of which were HRs, walked 4, struck out 9! It probably won't go down as her best game but it will go down as a very strong win for her! I thought she did a very good job! On the Bandits side the score was tied 2-2 going to the bottom of the 7th. Jessica Mendoza starts off the inning for the Pride offense and hits a ball back to Abbott who badly over throws Goler at first base and allows Mendoza to get all the way to 3rd! She intentionally walks both Kristyn Sandberg and Kelly Kretchman. The Pride bring Tonya Callahan to PH for Ashley Charters and on the 2nd pitch of the at bat Abbott hits her to bring in the game winning run! I think the article I read yesterday said it best Monica Abbott imploded and on her birthday no less. It was not a good weekend for her! Sunday's game though was the weirdest of all. The Pride had Mack in the circle to start the game and it was yet another game that the Bandits used a whole mess of pitchers. Mack had a rough first inning and little help from the defense who committed 2 errors in the inning and the Bandits came out of the top of the 1st with a 3-0 lead. Pride struck back in the bottom of the 1st picking up 2 runs of their own. The score stayed that way for a couple of innings until Mendoza drilled a solo HR to tied the game at 3. This is when things got crazy! In the 4th inning, the Pride put up 4 runs. The scoring started with a single by Bruder. 2 batters later Lappin brings her in with a single of her own and then Watley hits a single to bring Lappin in. The Bandits take Nemitz out after that and bring in Bell. Watley advances to 2nd on wild pitch and then Lowe walks. Mendoza reaches on an error and Watley scores. Sandberg comes up and on the 2nd pitch is hit. Both Bell and Doepking were ejected as the homeplate umpire felt it was intentional. The Bandits head coach was eventually ejected for arguing the call. So with the bases loaded they bring in Moses to pitch to Kretchman who has a great at bat and walks in the 4th run of the inning. So I'm thinking well that weird but who knew it would get even more weird! It was quiet until 6th when with 1 person on and 1 out Megan Wiggins steps to the plate for the Bandits and Mack hits her. Personally I thought from her reaction she hadn't meant to but she and Kristyn Sandberg were tossed and then followed shortly by a very angry Beth Torina. So that's right 6 ejections in 1 game! Cat Osterman came in to finish the game and the sweep of the Bandits!
It was a good series for the Pride and it's always nice to sweep the Bandits. For me it was kind of a dose of back to reality so to speak. As hard as it was to watch Canada lose and end up falling just short of the metal stand, I enjoyed watching their games. I'm not a big fan of their coach and I've made that pretty clear. I don't think he respects all the players the way he should and he can just flat be a jerk. But there is one player he respects and that's Jenn Salling. As soon and her and Danielle landed there was never any doubt who would be playing SS for the Canadians and she did a fantastic job. It was nice to finally see her used the way Jenn Salling can and should be used. It was good to see her play the way Jenn Salling is known for playing. She is an incredible athlete, person, and leader! I really enjoyed actually getting to see her play and lead an infield again because it just seemed like so long ago since I actually got to see that. It seems odd for me to feel so almost sad and discontent after the Pride swept the Bandits but I do. It's funny to me that they have no problems get anybody else starts. This weekend we saw 3 different people play 1st, 2 different people play 2nd, 2 different people play 3rd, and several different outfield lineups. Grant it, Jenn did see 2 innings in Saturdays game, and 3innings in Sundays game but still in comparison to everyone else that is nothing. She got 1 AB all weekend. Niki Williams hasn't seen an inning in the field in I couldn't tell you how long and she too got 1 AB this weekend. She spends the vast majority of her time doing stats. I've thought about this and thought about this and it drives me nuts to see Jenn sitting on the bench and Niki doing stats. It drives me nuts that there is no issue getting anyone else playing time yet those 2 are stuck on the bench. I think for Niki's sake they should either trade her at the end of the season or she might just be better off not coming back at all. Beth Torina has no interest at all in using her. I ask myself at least 100 times a weekend why they even drafted her because they sure don't respect her or her talent. They sure had no interest in helping her grow and develop her talent because the only talent she is developing and being able to use is her talent for keeping stats. I think whats worse though than that is what is being done to Jenn. Every other coach has made sure she was getting time on the field. The time was split almost completely evenly between her and Watley last year with Coach Walton. This year she'll be lucky if she has half the innings she did last year let alone half the innings Watley has. Don't get wrong I like Watley and I am not saying Jenn should get all the starts but why not 1 a series? How is she ever going to find a rhythm and make a name for herself when she does nothing but warm the bench and come in when the Pride has control of the game? It makes me sad that Beth Torina has so little respect for Jenn and the talent she has. It makes me so sad that she is wasting that kind of talent. I've said before and I'll say it again I don't know what Jenn or Niki will have to do to earn some respect and see some serious time with Torina as head coach, I am about convinced that it's pretty much out their hands. Jenn was the starting SS for the first couple of series and she did a wonderful job and yet she didn't just lose the starting job she lost the back up job and has fallen to the bottom and I'm still confused as to what she did that was so bad! Honest as a fan who has had the privilege of watching that girl as a Husky and on the Canadian National team all these years this NPF season has been a huge disappointment as far as she is concerned. She was not given the chance at all this season and as long as this is how Torina plans to use her she'd be better off playing anywhere else, except that she loves this team. It just breaks my heart!
Well the Olympics are under way, the first one without softball. To be honest here it hasn't really bothered me. Most NPF games are far better games than most international games. Yes I think it's sad that it's not in the Olympics and it should be there but it's not and because it's not we've been gifted with something better, the NPF! We've just got keep bringing awareness to it!
Well I'm done griping once again lol. Go Pride, Go Huskies, Boomer Sooner, RTR Go Bama, FTG, and let's USWNT(soccer)! Bring home the gold ladies!!
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