Softball

AU Softball: A Powerful and Smooth Week Three

- by LaDarius Brown
Athletes Unlimited Softball

As I have noted, AU Softball is exciting if you love seeing offense and hits galore. In Week Three of AU softball, if the defense is your thing, they have that too. Heading into the midway point of the season, the leaderboard is tightening at the top. Without further ado, here is how Week Three in AU Softball played out.

Game 13: Bubba Bruises the Ball in Debut

During the 2020 Olympic Games, Bubba Nickles only had two at-bats with a .500 batting average. However, on the very pitch Nickles sees in AU Softball, she slams it over the left-center field fence. For her effort, she earned MVP 2 honors.

Overall, Nickles’ big fly was one of six homers hit by Team Jaquish, led by catcher Sahvanna Jaquish. Dejah Mulipola, a rookie in AU Softball and fellow Olympian, hit two homers, including a three-run shot in the top of the seventh inning. She had four RBIs in the game.

Mulipola garnered MVP 1 honors, while infielder Amanda Chidester got MVP 3 after hitting her AU Softball leading fifth home run in the top of the second inning. Chidester had three RBIs in the 14-5 win over Team McCleney. Also, second-year player Kelsey Harshman added three RBIs. Despite losing, Team McCleney’s Ali Aguilar went two-for-four with 3 RBIs.

Game 14: Lorenz Launches Two Homers for Team Ocasio

Amanda Lorenz, the former Florida Gator, hit two home runs for Aleshia Ocasio and Team Ocasio. Equally important, both Ocasio and Lorenz were teammates in Gainesville. Together with the rest of Team Ocasio took a chomp out of Team Osterman, winning 6-2. Furthermore, Lorenz and Ocasio were named MVP 1 and MVP 2, respectively, in the game. Quick question, want to see some stellar defense? Check this out:

Ocasio went six-plus innings, allowing seven hits and two runs. Those runs came from the bats of Gwen Svekis and Kelsey Stewart in the top of the seventh inning with solo bombs. Additionally, Taylor Edwards garnered MVP 3 honors with her RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning. The team captain Cat Osterman went six innings, allowing six of Team Ocasio’s seven hits, and all six runs.

Game 15: Team Ocasio Strikes for Seven over Team McCleney

Occasionally, a team name matches exactly how the team performs. Team Ocasio named themselves the Purple Cobras via a suggestion by pitcher Haylie Wagner. The name comes from the movie “Dodgeball.” Without a doubt, Team Ocasio struck like cobras for seven runs in the top of the fifth inning. In all, they defeated Team McCleney 9-3.

Infielder Caleigh Clifton led the team with four RBIs, two of which came from a 2-run homer in the top of the fifth. She was the MVP 1 while Lorenz earned MVP 2 with her three RBIs, all of which came in the fifth. The MVP 3 came from Team McCleney and middle infielder Abby Ramirez, who supplied two of the three runs for the team. In contrast, Team Ocasio pitchers Wagner, Amber Fiser, and Alyssa Denham allowed a combined nine hits.

Game 16: McQuillin Masterful in the Circle

At this point, it has been about the offense, but now, it is about pitching. Taylor McQuillin, who played for Mexico in the Olympics, looked great for Team Jaquish. The southpaw threw for six and a third innings, allowing four hits, one run with three strikeouts.

She came in to relieve Carrie Eberle after one and two-thirds of work. Team Jaquish defeated Team Osterman in extra innings 5-2. Firstly, McQuillin earned MVP 1 honors for her performance.

Secondly, this game was 2-2 from the fifth inning on until Jaquish hit a double down the left-field line in the eighth. Thirdly, Chidester hit a two-run strike over the left-field fence, making it a 5-2 game. This would be the final score of the game. Chidester was the MVP 2, while Sis Bates won MVP 3 with her two-hit game. Odicci Alexander went five innings for Team Osterman in defeat, but she made an incredible play here:

Game 17: Chidester and Nickles Walk it Off for Team Jaquish

Unlike each of their previous two games, Team Jaquish and Team Ocasio fought tooth and nail. In any case, it came down to extra innings. Team Ocasio went up 2-0 after an RBI double by Anissa Urtez in the first inning and a Lorenz single in the second. By all means, the game looked over for Jaquish and her squad. They were held scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning.

Chidester launched a two-run home run to tie the game, and Nickles hit a two-bagger to left field, scoring Ciara Bryan to win it. To no one’s surprise, Chidester was the MVP 1 whereas Nickles was the MVP 3. As far as the MVP 2 honors go, that went to the right-hander Taran Alvelo of Team Jaquish.

She went six innings, allowing seven hits, two runs, and one walk. Subsequently, Ocasio went six innings, allowing five hits with three walks and five strikeouts in the loss.

Game 18: Cat Corrals Ten in 3-0 shutout

In reality, Cat Osterman tossing a shutout is another day in the office for her. As an illustration, Osterman went the distance, giving up just two hits, four walks, and ten strikeouts. She was the MVP 2 of this game.

Summing up, the first two runs in Team Osterman’s 3-0 win came from outfielder Megan Wiggins with a two-run shot in the second inning. Even more, It was Wiggins’ first home run in this AU Softball season, giving her the MVP 1 honor. The other run came from an error third baseman Riley Sartain-Vaughan.

Pitcher Danielle O’Toole took to the circle in the fourth, hurling two and one-third innings, striking out four batters.

Lastly, catcher Sashel Palacios was the MVP 3 for Team McCleney with her double in the third inning. Sara Groenewegen tossed three and two-thirds innings, allowing four hits and three runs (two earned).

Week Four Captains

Analogous to Week Three AU, three of the four-team captains are familiar faces: Osterman (Blue), Jaquish (Orange), and Ocasio (Purple). Of course, we have a new but familiar face, as the captain of the gold squad: Amanda Chidester.

She moved up twelve spots to be number one on the leaderboard. Now that we have our captains, Week Four of AU Softball will commence from Sept. 18th to Sept. 20th.

Follow me on Twitter: @ladarius_brown and read other amazing articles on Beyond Women’s Sports.

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About LaDarius Brown

I'm LaDarius Brown and I'll forever love the Seattle Storm and Sue Bird is my forever GOAT. Big time lover of wrestling and my love for women's sports is lifelong. P.S. I'm a UConn WBB fan (that's a secret between just you and I)

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