To begin, Week Three of the AU Pro Softball Championship Season felt the impact of Tropical Storm Debby. Games Thirteen and Fourteen were postponed until August 12th as the final doubleheader of the week.
The Blue Team, captained by Taylor McQuillin, and the Orange Team, led by Lexi Kilfoyl, were supposed to open the week. It was halted with two outs and no score in the top of the second inning and will resume from there.
Also, Amanda Lorenz and the Gold Squad versus Sashel Palacios and the Purple Squad never began due to Debby. That being said, Games Fifteen and Sixteen end up being the start of Week Three in Rosemont. Here is a recap of the action.
Game Fifteen: History Made in AU Pro Softball Championship Season
Photo Credit: Jade Hewitt/Athletes Unlimited
To begin, Team Palacios faced off against Team Kilfoyl as the action got underway fast in the opening inning. Sis Bates hit an RBI double to right-center as Palacios scored Bates on a groundout. Veteran and fan favorite Sam Fischer added the third and final run for Team Purple on a sacrifice fly. Next, the Orange squad got on the board in the bottom of the first with a Claire Davidson sacrifice fly RBI.
Team Purple added to their lead thanks to a groundout RBI by Haylie McCleney in the second. For McCleney, she became the second player in the history of Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball to be in 100 career games. The outfielder joins Morgan Zerkle in the rare club.
Seeing double 👀
— AU Pro Softball (@auprosoftball) August 10, 2024
Back-to-back doubles from@aubrey_lynne10 and @SisBates22 gets things started!#AUProSB | 📺 Bally Sports pic.twitter.com/UnUROAaeB0
In the fifth, Kalei Harding would give Team Palacios a 5-1 lead with an RBI double. McCleney would add to her historic day with a homer in the seventh, the final run for Team Purple. Kilfoyl’s team would add two runs courtesy of RBIs by Victoria Hayward and Skylar Wallace.
That would not be enough as Palacios’ squad gets the 6-3 win. It’s important to note that six of the eight hits from Team Palacios came via the first four batters. McCleney won MVP 2 honors while Bates and the two-hit effort got her MVP 3. However, the MVP 1 went to pitcher Georgina Corrick. Corrick went four innings, allowing one run and hit in the win.
Game Sixteen: The Long Ball Made the Difference
Photo Credit: Jade Hewitt/Athletes Unlimited
Closing out the doubleheader were Team McQuillin and Team Lorenz who saw a similar start to the previous matchup. Jessi Warren gave the Blue Team an early lead with a two-run double in the first. Yet, Lorenz and the Gold squad answered back in the second. Anissa Urtez hit a two-run single as Aliyah Andrews hit a sacrifice fly that brought home Aleshia Ocasio.
In the third, the bat of Tori Vidales slammed a two-run shot to left field while Lorenz added an RBI in the fourth. Sierra Romero hit a solo home run to cut McQuillin’s team deficit but came up short.
TORI VIDALES NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT ONE!!!! 🫨🫨#AUProSB | 📺 Bally Sports pic.twitter.com/CU726JNpIQ
— AU Pro Softball (@auprosoftball) August 10, 2024
In this case, the Gold Team got the victory by a score of 6-3. Vidales and Urtez won MVP 1 and 2 honors, respectively, Andrews was the MVP 3 of the game.
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