Bandits cruise to exhibition win with 10-run first inning
ROSEMONT - With the regular season opener just a couple of nights away, the Bandits concluded its preseason exhibition schedulewith a 17-4 win over the Collinsville Extreme.
The Bandits got out of the first inning unscathed and quickly jumped on the Extreme in the bottom half of the first inning. Amber Patton opened the 10-hit, 10-run inning with a leadoff double and was driven home on a triple from Tammy Williams. After a walk and a single, Kristen Butler drilled a double to left center in her first at-bat in a Bandits uniform to score two.
In her second at-bat of the inning, Alisa Goler hit a two-run double off of the right field wall and she was followed by another RBI hit from Butler.
The Extreme got on the board in the top of the second inning when first baseman Brianna Butler drilled a Nikki Nemitz pitch to centerfield for a two-run homerun.
Chicago would add another run in the third to make the score 11-2.
Collinsville scored two runs off of three hits in its half of the fourth inning on Bandits rookie relief pitcher Chanda Bell. Those were all of the runs that the Extreme would score in the game.
The Bandits continued to swing the bats with authority in the fourth inning. Consecutive hits by Patton, T. Williams, Goler and Butler helped increase the lead and they cruised to the easy win.
Patton was the hitting star on the day with a 4-for-5 performance and three runs scored, while rookie Brittany Cervantes finished the day 3-for-4.
The pitching trio of Nemitz, Bell and free agent Meagan Denny-White combined to allow five hits and four runs. In all, the three pitchers recorded 16 strikeouts in the game.
Tickets are available now for this game and all other games for the 2012 Chicago Bandits season. The Bandits will open the regular season on Thursday, June 7 when the Pride visit Rosemont for a four-game series. Monica Abbott is scheduled to toe the rubber in the season opening game. Tickets start at just $5/each.
For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the box office at 877-722-6348 or go to www.chicagobandits.com [1].
ABOUT THE CHICAGO BANDITS
Since 2005, the Chicago Bandits have been members of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league. Located in the Chicagoland area, the Bandits provide an opportunity for female fastpitch players to further their careers at a professional level. The roster has included such names as Jennie Finch, Stacy May and Monica Abbott. The two-time NPF Champions play at The Ballpark at Rosemont, the only stadium in the country built for a women's professional team.
ABOUT NATIONAL PRO FASTPITCH
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has operated since 1997 under the names of Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). NPF is the Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball in the category of women's fastpitch softball and has been since 2002.
