Oxford, AL – USSSA Pride ace answers Rogers’ no-hitter with a three-hit shutout as Oxford’s Smash It Sports Vipers fall 5-0. Vipers hope to end regular season with series victory.
By Joe Medley
Ashley Rogers brought Oxford’s Smash It Sports Vipers a smile when she put a no-hitter on the USSSA Pride on Saturday, and the Pride answered with the Ally Carda buzzsaw.
Carda pitched a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts Sunday, and the Pride beat the Vipers 5-0 in the next-to-last regular-season game for both teams.
The Vipers (9-26) and Pride (18-16) finish their three-game series Monday, and the four-team Women’s Professional Fastpitch league’s playoffs start Wednesday at Choccolocco Park.
Should the Vipers win Monday, they would go into the playoffs with their second series victory of the season. They’ll open the playoffs with the No. 4 seed and play a best-of-3 semifinal series against the top-seeded Texas Smoke.
“It would be huge for us to win a series, so tomorrow is a big game for us,” Vipers coach Gerry Glasco said. “It would be, going into the playoffs, it would be three wins in our last four games.”
Carda dealt on Sunday, with 63 strikes in 101 pitches. Chelsea Gonzales, Raina O’Neal and Mikayla Allee each had one of the Vipers’ three hits.
“It definitely wasn’t our night,” Gonzales said. “Ally Carda, she’s one of the top pitchers in the country. Anything off of her is a good pitch. We just needed to be a little bit better at the plate, a little bit more disciplined.
“I feel like tomorrow is going to be a better day.”
Kayla Wedl led the Pride’s offense, going 2-for-2 with a home run, double and three RBIs. Her two-run home run in the fourth inning made it 3-0.
