Jul 16, 2015 4 min read

The Pennsylvania Rebellion can keep the brooms in the closest.

The Rebellion, who were attempting to sweep a series Thursday night for the first time in the franchise’s two-year history, were thwarted by an Australian pitcher and hitter who called Consol Energy Park her home field last season.

Dallas starter Veronica Stokes and reliever Jolen Henderson combined on a five-hit shutout, and Nicole Morgan hit a two-run homer, as the Charge salvaged the final contest of the four-game series, defeating the Rebellion, 3-0. The loss snapped the Rebellion’s franchise-record three-game winning streak.

With only four of the league’s five teams advancing to the National Pro Fastpitch playoff tournament in Hoover, Ala., next month, the Rebellion (8-24) had an opportunity to close to within 1½ games of fourth-place Dallas (10-19) but the Charge escaped with a win and some momentum to take on what will be a 15-game road trip over 22 days.

The Rebellion, meanwhile, will have to settle for gaining two games in the standings during the series.

“If anybody would have said before the series that we’d take three out of four, we would have been happy with it,” Rebellion manager Craig Montvidas said. “The worst thing that could have happened was splitting the series because we wouldn’t have gained ground and had four fewer games left in the season.

“We didn’t play badly in this one. We just got beat with the long ball. They were a little sharper than we were.”

Dallas hit two home runs. The first came 13 pitches into the game and provided the only run of support the Dallas pitchers needed.

After Pennsylvania starter Miranda Kramer (0-2) retired Renada Davis during a 10-poitch at-bat to begin the game, Taylor Thom hit the third pitch she saw over the left-field wall to make the score 1-0.

Kramer, the Rebellion’s top selection in this year’s NPF draft out of Western Kentucky, was pitching in only her third game after sitting out the first half of the season with a forearm injury. She lasted only one inning, but Montvidas said his left-handed pitcher is healthy.

“She just didn’t have it tonight,” he said. “How she threw tonight was how I expected her to throw in her first game, but she was lights-out in that one. She started the first game of this series and was hit-and-miss. This was an important game and we weren’t going to fool around. We said let’s make a change.”

Emily Weiman pitched six solid innings after Kramer and allowed two runs, both coming on a home run by former Rebellion player Nicole Morgan in the fourth inning. Morgan played for Pennsylvania last year and batted just .100 with no home runs. The blast to left field was her fourth homer with the Charge.

“Nicole had been a big addition for us,” Dallas manager Jennifer McFalls said.

Stokes (5-1), who pitches for the Australian national team, took a shutout into the sixth before running into trouble. She walked Whitney Arion to start the inning and Haruna Sakomoto hit into a forceout. Alisa Goler then smacked a book-rule double to left centerfield. The ball bounced off the turf, hit the top of the outfield fence and then went over for the double. Had the ball stayed in the field of play, Sakomoto would have easily scored.

Dallas brought in Henderson to pitch and she walked Kristyn Sandberg to load the bases with one out, but the Rebellion couldn’t capitalize. Alexa Peterson popped out and third baseman Danielle Henderson snagged Mandy Ogle’s line drive to end the inning.

The Rebellion also squandered an excellent scoring opportunity in the bottom of the first inning. Arion led off with a single up the middle and Sakamoto blooped a hit-and-single down the right-field line to put runners on first and third.

Sakamoto, however, was thrown out trying to steal and Stokes followed with two of her four strikeouts.

“Most runs are scored in the first or last innings because somebody is nervous or not ready,” Montvidas said. “We were being aggressive in the first inning by trying to steal.”

The Rebellion will play a four-game series in Orlando, Fla., against the USSSA Pride beginning Saturday night.

Dallas, meanwhile, will continue its brutal road trip that includes another stop for two games against the Rebellion July 27 and 28.

“This was a huge win for us,” McFalls said. “We needed a win. This was an important series and I have to tip my hat to the Rebellion, they did a nice job. Losing three straight games by one run each was tough to swallow.”