New York Rise win inaugural Scenic City Pro Cup
It was quite a debut weekend for the New York Rise as it took home the inaugural Scenic City Pro Cup in Chattanooga. The Rise beat the Oklahoma City Spark 9-1 in the championship game on Satuday.
New York broke through in the third on a Makenna Smith opposite-field two-run home run off Donnie Gobourne. The Rise had early chances against the former South Carolina ace but didn’t cash in. However, it increased her pitch count, leading to an early exit.
That’s when the fun began for New York in the fourth against Keely Rochard. She didn’t fare much better against Smith. The Cal alum crushed a three-run home run to left to cap the five-run inning.
Smith with a THREE RUN 💣 to bust it open.
7-0 @TheNewYorkRise , still 2outs in the bottom of the 4th. #ConnectSportsEvents #TheUltimateFastpitchExperience pic.twitter.com/fFEW4Rab3V
— Connect Sports (@ConnectSports_) June 23, 2024
The inning only happened as nine-hole hitter Sydney McCray flipped the lineup over to Ashley Trierweiler, who had her own RBI single. Trierweiler finished the game with two hits, two runs scored and two stolen bases.
Rise tacked on insurance runs in the sixth and seventh, which included a solo shot by Linnie Malkin.
Mariah Lopez’s effort can’t be overlooked despite the offensive barrage. She carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Chloe Malau’ulu broke it up with an RBI single. That was the lone hit the Spark had the entire game. Lopez ended her outing going 4.2 innings with three strikeouts and a pair of walks, relying on weak contact for outs. Courtney Wyche tossed 2.1 perfect innings with five strikeouts.
The Spark had been undefeated in pool play against Rise, Chattanooga Steam and the Florida Vibe, mounting comebacks against all three teams. The Rise was in a three-way tie for the second-seed but earned the spot in the title game as both losses were by one run meaning a better run differential.
Here are the full results of the cup:
[table id=194 /]
