WPCNR PRESS BOX. By Fastpitch Johnny & From Juggernaut Reports. June 9, 2004: The New York New Jersey Juggernaut pro fastpitchers took 2 of 3 in Tucson from the Arizona Heat over the weekend and are in Houston this evening to begin a 3-game set with the Texas Thunder. It is the first crucial series of the season with the Thunder just a game behind the Nauts in the National Pro Fastpitch standings.
Rabbit Blake, the President of theTexas Thunder told WPCNR this morning, he has received great support from Major League Baseball's Houston Astros who introduced the Thunder at Edison Field in Houston prior to their home opener. "That really helped us," Blake said, and he also praised ABC-TV affiliate Channel 13 for covering the his Thunder opener (something no NY television station did for the Juggernaut opener).
Blake said the Astros are solidly behind his team and let Houston baseball fans know about the new Fast Pitch Team. Astro President of Operations, Pam Gardner, the only woman CEO in Major League Baseball also threw out the first ball at the Thunder opener. Blake said he expected a good crowd tonight at the University of Houston state-of-the-art softball stadium.
Mr. Blake said his quartet of nationally renowned fastpitch arms are set to go, he said, and he said he expected "an old-fashioned Texas whuppin'." His staff consists of Peaches James of the University of Nebraska, and Houston native Christa Williams, the two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, neither of whom have surrendered an earned run this season, and each is 2-0. They are backed by Lindsay Chouinard and Marissa Young.
The Thunder top bats are Lindsay Gardner who is hitting .571 with 10 Runs Batted In and Kristen Zaleski, hitting .349.
Success in the Valley of the Sun
On the Nauts Southwest Swing, The Nauts won 5-4 Saturday evening in the Valley of the Sun, behind the combination of "The Leadoff Lynx," Carri Leto who went 2 for 4, and Jaclyn Pasquerella's 3 for 3 and 2 RBI's, and the relief of Amanda Scott. Former Arizona star, Erica Hansen, tripled and scored on the JacPac's single, and Pasquerella moved to second and scored on Leto's single for a 2-0 lead. First Sackette Kellie Wilkerson and Catcher Lindsey Collins belted consecutive doubles in the third to put the Juggernaut ahead to stay, and Scott held the Heat to a run over the final four frames.
Sunday night, Kellie Wilkerson was the heroine in the top of the 7th. The Nauts trailed 3-2 with 2 out. Jen Smith and Carri Leto singled to begin the Naut 7th, but after two ground outs, the Juggernauts were down to their last one. Wilkerson stepped in the box, Heat Heater Eria Beach slipped over two fast strikes and Wilkerson hit the 0-2 offering over the left field fence for a 3-run dinger, 5-3 Nauts.
In the last of the 7th, the Heat tied it up off Kaci Clark on two passed balls to send the contest to extra frames, where the Nauts pushed across the winning run in the eighth.
Monday evening, the Heat behind Leigh Ann Walker, handed the Nauts their first loss of the season, 2-1 on 2 unearned runs in the fifth inning on an infield error by Carrie Leto allowing a runner from first when the ball went all the way to the outfield fence. A single by Erica Beach plated the Heat's second and winning run.
Leto had been called out at the plate on a close play earlier in the game in the 4th inning. In the 7th, the Nauts tried to tie it up as catcher Lindsey Collins lead off with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Gina Oaks.
After six games, Carri Leto is the Nauts' leading hitter at .458. Kellie Wilkerson is at .400, leading the team in RBIs with 6. Jaclyn Pasquerella is hitting .368, and Jen Smith, .357. Amanda Scott took the loss and falls to 2-1 on the season.
The Nauts play three in HouSTUN before returning home Sunday night to face the Sacremento Sunbirds in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. The New York New Jersey Juggernaut is 5-1 on the season and lead the league by 1 game over the Texas Thunder and 2 games over the Sunbirds, and the Akron Racers.
National Pro Fastpitch Standings, June 9, 2004
Juggernauts -- 5-1
Texas Thunder -- 4-2
Sacremento Sunbirds 3-3
Akron Racers 3-3
Arizona Heat 2-4
New England Riptide, 1-5
The Juggernaut Stats as of June 9, 2004:
BATTING Click on column name to sort
| Player |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
SO |
KL |
SB |
GDP |
HITDP |
HBP |
SH |
AVG |
OB% |
SLG |
| Clark, Kaci |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
| Collins, Lindsey |
24 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.208 |
0.269 |
0.292 |
| Fairchild, Germaine |
19 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.105 |
0.150 |
0.105 |
| Hanson, Erika |
11 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.364 |
0.500 |
0.455 |
| Hershman, Sarah |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
| Iancin, Lisa |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
| Klein, Lyndsey |
17 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.235 |
0.235 |
0.235 |
| Leto, Carri |
24 |
5 |
11 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.458 |
0.519 |
0.542 |
| Oaks, Gina |
20 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0.200 |
0.200 |
0.300 |
| Pasquerella, Jaclyn |
19 |
5 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0.368 |
0.429 |
0.368 |
| Scott, Amanda |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
| Smith, Jen |
14 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0.357 |
0.357 |
0.429 |
| Smith, Michele |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
0.000 |
| Taylor, Venus |
19 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.105 |
0.190 |
0.105 |
| Wilkerson, Kellie |
20 |
5 |
8 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.400 |
0.520 |
0.600 | PITCHING Click on column name to sort
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