Bandits top Charge in extras

SAN MARCOS, Tex. - Through four innings, the Bandits offense had been stifled by Texas Charge starting pitcher Lauren Haeger. It took some speed from the bottom hitter in the order and the top hitter in the order, to change the game. Abby Ramirez and Sammy Marshall sparked a late rally for the Bandits, who went on to claim the series opener on the road by a 3-2 final in extra innings.

Ramirez slapped the ball hard down the third base line with one down in the eighth, allowing Emily Crane to score the eventual game-winning run. Crane had reached base with a double leading off the frame after Chicago right-hander Lacey Waldrop worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh to push it to extras.

Two innings prior, Ramirez gave the Bandits their first lead of the game with an RBI-infield single. The Bandits had been held off the scoreboard until the fifth when Ramirez beat a throw to the plate on an RBI-single off the bat of Marshall.

Marshall continued her torrid pace over the first month of the season, collecting another three hits to raise her bating average to .474 in the early going.

Waldrop earned the win in the circle for Chicago after three scoreless innings in relief of starter Haylie Wagner, who departed with a no-decision in five innings of work. Waldrop, a third-year pro from Florida State, picked up her third win of the season to an impressive 1.50 mark. Brittany Mack-Oakes suffered the loss for Texas, falling to 2-2 on the season.

The series-opening win snapped a three-game skid for the Bandits after they were swept in a three-game set against the Scrap Yard Dawgs to kick off a lengthy road trip. It also represents the Bandits' first true road win of the 2017 season. Chicago was credited with a pair of road wins over the Beijing Shougang Eagles, however, both games were played in Rosemont.

Game two between the Bandits and Charge is set for a 7:05 p.m. CST first pitch on Saturday night from Bobcat Softball Stadium in San Marcos, Texas.