Bandits need extras but clinch walk-off series victory
Game three of the series between the Dallas Charge and the Chicago Bandits was a polar opposite from the first two games on Thursday and Friday. Kirsten Verdun of the Bandits faced off against Morgan Melloh for the Charge in a pitchers duel that needed extras to settle it.
"I think probably both teams were tired of being slaughtered by the other," Emiily Allard said of the third game. "So I actually expected this game to be rather close."
Verdun pitched 6.1 shutout innings with 4 hits allowed and 3 strikeouts. Melloh matched that dominance with seven innings of 1-hit ball until the bottom of the eighth when she gave up the game-winning hit.
Both teams needed key defensive plays to keep runs off the board. Danielle Henderson made a sliding catch in foul territory to end the third, and Brianna Cherry robbed Megan Blank of a hit in right field with a diving catch in the fourth. Tammy Williams initiated two 6-4-3 double plays in the fourth and fifth with Danielle Zymkowitz and Blank.
Monica Abbott came on in relief in the seventh for Verdun with 1 out and Eri Yamada on second to win the game and improve her record to 9-1 on the season.
"I thought our pitching today was incredible," Allard said. "V kept us in the game for as long as she could. Even in that last inning, I still had faith in her, but I loved the call in bringing in Monie and she shut it down."
Yamada started the inning with a single and advanced to scoring position via a Lauren Haeger sacrifice bunt. Abbott forced both Kaylyn Castillo and Kaitlyn Richardson to groundout to end the top half of the inning and struck out the side in the eighth to continue the game.
Kailee Cuico drew a walk to start the bottom of the eighth and advanced to second on a groundout by Zymkowitz. Allard benefited from a dropped foul ball miscommunication play between Henderson and Castillo to the left of home plate to earn a second life and a rejuvenated at bat.
"I was 0 for 3 to start that, and instead of going into the box defeated, I really tried to focus on what my adjustment was," Allard said. "I got really, really big on that one swing and that was what I was trying to fix. So when she dropped it, it kind of just smacked me in the head and in my mind I was like, 'you don't want to give me a second chance.'"
Two pitches later Allard hit the game-winning RBI to left center to score Sammy Marshall who pinch ran for Cuico earning the Bandits a series victory. Allard rounded first and made a complete 360 before second to meet her teammates in celebration.
"The mob is a thousand times better than the hit and I am a firm believer in that," Allard said. "I turned around so fast because I didn't want to be by myself anymore."