The Smoke cinches historic win with a 13-run score in the final three innings
AUSTIN, Texas (Aug. 14, 2023) – The Texas Smoke has secured The Schiffhauer Cup in the Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) inaugural championship series. The Smoke triumphed over the USSSA Pride in Game 2 of the series with a final score of 14-2.
After an early 1-0 lead by the USSSA Pride, Baylee Klingler hit a bases-clearing double to put the Smoke ahead 3-1 in the 5th inning. The offense didn’t stop, with the Smoke scoring 7 runs total in the 5th inning, including a homerun from Maddy Grimm.
The 6th inning was another dominating offensive performance with Shelbi Sunseri and Alyssa Rivera both hitting home runs and Grimm hitting her second homerun of the game. In total, the Smoke saw a 14-run score in the final 3 innings.
The Smoke defense was led by pitcher Autumn Pease with 7 strikeouts in the game. Second baseman Janae Jefferson’s overall play in the series earned her the title of MVP of the series.
“We left it ALL on the field tonight!” said owner Brandon Phillips, MLB All-Star and World Series Champ. “We made HISTORY our first season. I couldn’t be prouder of this team.”
The Texas Smoke, hailing from Austin, Texas, is the newest team in the WPF league. The Schiffhauer Cup is named after Rick Schiffhauer, WFP league owner who recently passed after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. With this namesake cup, his commitment and passion for softball and WPF will live on for years to come.
The Texas Smoke were the regular season champions, and are coming back to Texas with several other accolades as well. At the first-ever WPF Awards Night, held at the Talladega Superspeedway, Morgan Howe won Offensive Player of the Year while Pease received Pitcher of the Year. Jefferson was awarded the Player of the Year title and the coaching staff of the Smoke was accoladed Staff of the Year.
About The Texas Smoke
The Texas Smoke is Austin’s second professional sports team in Austin and the fourth franchise in Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF). Coach Tori Tyson coaches the Texas Smoke with Assistant Coach Monique White and pitching coach Cat Tarvin. The Texas Smoke’s roster consists of Janae Jefferson, Alyssa Rivera, AnaMarie Bruni, Alexa DiFeo, Elizabeth Mason, Madysen Grimm, Lindsay Thomas, Samantha Show, Kenna Wilkey, Ciara Bryan, Charla Echols, Morgan Howe, Destini Brown, Jordan Dail, Marta Gasporotto, Shelbi Sunseri, Autumn Pease, Charla Echols, Baylee Klingler, Jordan Johnson and Sahvanna Jaquish. For more information, visit thetexassmoke.com.
About Brandon Phillips and Jade Cargill, owners of The Texas Smoke
Brandon Phillips is a World Series Champion (Boston Red Sox, 2018). He has 17 years of major league experience playing for the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox. Phillips is a 3-time MLB All-Star, 4-time Gold Glove winner, Silver Slugger Award winner, 30-30 Club Member, and is currently an MLB Hall of Fame candidate. Professional wrestler and serial entrepreneur Jade Cargill is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a former one-time and inaugural AEW TBS Champion. Her reign of 508 days is the longest for any AEW championship.
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