They say all good things -- in this case, all GREAT things -- must come to an end.
Kelly Kretschman, labeled by many as "the greatest hitter in softball history," announced her retirement just before her Viera-based USSSA Pride swept the Chicago Bandits to win their record fifth National Pro Fastpitch title.
Thetwo-time Olympic medalist, who turns 40 next week, fittingly closed her illustrious 14-year pro career Saturday night by going 2-for-4 with two RBIs, driving in Megan Wiggins with a sixth-inning single in her final at-bat in an 8-2 series-clinching victory against the Bandits in Rosemont, Illinois.
Then, with two outs in the seventh, Pride coach Gerry Glasco called timeout and brought in Kretschman from center field and out of the game to a curtain call where there were plenty of hugs and tears.
It was the Pride's second straight sweep over the Bandits in the finals, this time by scores of3-0, 5-4 and 8-2.
But the weekend belonged to Kretschman.
“I hope my teammates will say that I was one of their favorite teammates to play with,” she told Softball America. “I hope they will say that I was a great teammate and that they learned a lot from me and that they really just had fun.”
At 5-foot-6, the left-handed-hitting Kretschman was not the most imposing hitter to step to the plate. But a menacing-looking eye black treatment, looking like she should have been on a KISS concert stage,her right arm heavily tatted and her bat poised high off her shoulder as she stepped to the farthest rear of the batter's box made opposing pitchers quiver.
This season, she was walked 25times, mostlyout of respect, many of those intentionally.
Without getting straight fastballs tohit, shehad to adjust her strategy, sacrificing her power numbers yet still lining lasers into the power alleys and also being able to drop the surprise suicide squeeze bunt to scorespeedy teammates like Sydney Romero, Chip Bennett or Bianka Bell from third.
Kretschman hit .277 in the regular season and.400 (4-for-10) in her final playoff series.
In 2017, she accomplished an incrediblefeat bygoing 58-for-116 to post a .500 season batting average.
Brevard gold medalist a big hit in pro softball
That came a year after she became the first Triple Crown winner in NPF history with 13 homers, 45 RBIs and a .466 batting average.
This season, she collected her 500th career hit, just adding on to a phenomenal record.
Her on-base percentage of .436 ranked third in the league this season.
"I’m extremely grateful for all that I’ve been able to do," Kretschman told Softball America. "To be able to play for this long, and I really haven't had any significant injuries, it's just been a blessing. I just appreciate everything that I have."
The four-time All-American at Alabama (60 career home runs) who starred in several sports at Satellite High School, started her pro career with the Akron Racers before moving on to the Connecticut Brakettes and Washington Glory before joining the Pride in 2009.
In between, she collected a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics and a silver in 2008, another gold in the 2007 Pan American Games, and she also playedin leagues in both hemispheres. Reportedly, she is on her wayto Japan to compete in the Japan Softball League to finish the second half for her Denso team.
Pride bounced back in playoffs
The Pride were 32-13 during the regular season, their third season since moving from Kissimmee toViera,finishing six games behind Chicago. It was a far cry from last year's 45-5 record, but there were reasons for that.
Even before the first pitch of the regular season was thrown, the Pride faced adversity.
* First, three starters -- outfielder Kirsti Merritt, shortstop Shelby Pendley and pitcher Keilani Ricketts -- were lost for the summer to Team USA, which was tuning up for a 2020 Olympic bid.
* The NCAA's all-time home run leader, Lauren Chamberlain, retired at age 25 with an announcement on national TV at the College World Series.
* Then,in an exhibition game against the Czech National team, infielder Sierra Romero, last season's leading hitter for the Pride, tore her ACL and was lost for the season.
The Pride got off to a rough start, trying to piece the remaining puzzle together, and were 1-3 after four games.
The bad news continued in the home opener when Oklahoma rookie Fale Aviu notched her first pro hit but then suffered a season-ending injury sliding into third base.
Midway through the season, the Pride pulled off a major trade, sending Oklahoma stars Nicole Pendley, a rightfielder, and Paige Parker, a pitcher, to Cleveland.
The injury bug also struck sluggers Chelsea Goodacre and Amanda Lorenz down the homestretch.
More:USSSA Pride softball team puts home winning streak on line
But there were plenty of bright spots.
* Pitcher Jolene Henderson, last year's top hurler in the NPF, threw the franchise's first perfect game.
More:USSSA Pride softball magic: Jolene Henderson throws first perfect game in team history
* Former FSU star Jessie Warren was solid at any infield position she played and she was steady at the plate with a .298 average.
* Chip Bennett, Nicole Pendley and Nicole DeWitt all earned recognition on ESPN's "Top 10 Plays" series.
More:First-place USSSA Pride on hot streak; Bennett on ESPN's Top Plays
* Florida star Amanda Lorenz was as good in the pros as she was in college. The Gators' all-time leading hitter batted .385 with four home runs, while Chelsea Goodacre (.346) was clutch with 21 RBIs.
* Rookie Sydney Romero appears tobe part of the backbone of the team's future after hitting .371 with a league-leading 49 hits and 28 runs.
* Jailyn Ford earned MVP honors in the playoff finals, recording one win and two saves with a 0.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts in eight innings. She was part of an impressive pitching staff that included Taran Alvelo (1.11 ERA), Megan Good (1.76), Henderson (1.99) and Jessica Burroughs (2.26).
* The addition of Brittany Cervantes (in the midseason trade with Cleveland) paid off with a dramatic walk-off home run in front of the home crowd and another shot in the playoffs. She batted .323from the cleanup position.
More:Fans name USSSA Pride softball team's mascot Apollo
Finally, the team hired a mascot, named Apollo, after fans cast hundreds of ballots in a survey.
Contact Grossman at 321-242-3676 or hgrossman@floridatoday.com
