Rebellion need late push for playoffs
With only 18 games remaining in the regular season and a good chunk of the roster either with their national teams or injured, the Pennsylvania Rebellion will have to dig deep to secure a playoff spot in the National Pro Fastpitch softball league.
The Rebellion are currently on a five-day break and riding a four-game losing streak that has them 11 games behind the first-place USSSA Pride heading into Monday night. More important, the Rebellion are three games behind the Chicago Bandits (14-18) for the fourth and final spot in the playoffs.
“We’ve been really inconsistent,” said Rebellion head coach Craig Montvidas. “It’s like we can’t get the whole team to play together. If we get good pitching, then we don’t hit. If we hit a little more, then our pitching is down. So it’s finding the combination. It’s like every game, we have three players who play really well, three who play poorly or well, and three who have bad games. We’re making mistakes and when we do, other teams are punishing us.”
In the Rebellion’s last four losses, they have been outscored 15-9. In the last two games against Akron, the Rebellion lost leads, then the game, in the seventh inning.
“It’s been amazing this year,” Montvidas said. “I have totalled it up how many runs came against us after two outs. If we could solve that problem, then we could turn some things around. It’s been frustrating.”
Keeping the pitching staff healthy has been a problem. Emma Johnson, who is fifth in the league with a 2-2 record and a 2.49 ERA, might not pitch again this season because of hip and back problems. She is scheduled to be examined soon and a decision made on her status.
Miranda Kramer, who battled arm fatigue last year, has had trouble with a recurring blister on the finger of her pitching hand. Kramer, a lefty, has a 2-2 record and 3.71 ERA. She has not appeared in a game since July 9, a 4-3 loss to the Chicago Bandits in which she gave up three runs in 2 1/3 innings.
The Rebellion offense is fifth in the six-team league, with a .251 average. Ravanne Chavanne, a member of the U.S. National Team, has been limited to four games with quad and hamstring injuries.
“We’ve had some players cool off,” said Montvidas. “(Kayla) Winkfield and (Alexa) Peterson got off to good starts but their bats have cooled. We are not getting the hits when players are on base, so it’s been a problem.”
Montvidas does see some positives for the stretch run, including playing the bulk of the schedule against teams they have to pass to get into the playoffs in August. The Rebellion face fifth-place Dallas (10-19) and fourth-place Chicago five times each in their final 18 games.
Up first, however, is a three-game series with the Pride that starts Wednesday in Orlando.
“We have head-to-head games with Houston, Chicago and Dallas,” said Montvidas. “So the teams you have to leapfrog to get into the fourth spot we play head-to-head. That’s good for us if we win those games.”