Jessi Warren and Erin Coffel Lead Team Kowalik in 13-5 Victory
Early Action
For the second All-Star Cup game of the day, Team Netz took on Team Kowalik. Kayla Kowalik came in looking to keep her hot streak alive, while Team Netz hoped to cool her down.
Kowalik wasted no time. She ripped an RBI-double in the first inning to put her team in front 1 to 0. She has been on a major tear in the All-Star Cup and kept it rolling.
Morgan Zerkle helped save another run with a diving catch in center to take away a hit from Erin Coffel. Lexi Kilfoyl wrapped up the top of the first by getting Delanie Wisz looking. Kilfoyl, back from her run with Team USA, made the start for Team Netz.
Georgina Corrick took the circle for Team Kowalik, but with one on and two outs, Tiare Jennings made her pay with a two run homer to flip the lead. Team Netz jumped ahead 2 to 1 behind the bat of Jennings, who has been scorching hot in the All-Star Cup and at the World Games for Team USA.
Big Second Inning
The On-Deck Circle can turn into chaos in a hurry. Jessi Warren lined one right off teammate Victoria Hayward’s arm in the second inning. That forced Hayward out of the game and brought in Aleshia Ocasio to take her spot. Warren was walked to put two on with one out, and Ocasio later singled to load the bases.
That set the stage for Amanda Lorenz, who drew an RBI-walk to tie it 2 to 2. Lexi Kilfoyl struggled to find her command, walking four in just over an inning of work. Team Captain Devyn Netz stepped in and called herself to the circle to face loaded bases with one out.
Almost unfair, the first hitter she saw was Kayla Kowalik. After a long seven pitch battle, Kowalik finally broke through with a clutch RBI-single to put her team back on top 3 to 2. She fouled off multiple pitches before Netz gave her one she could handle.
With the bags still juiced, Erin Coffel stepped in and delivered a grand slam to blow the game open. Her swing cleared the bases and gave Team Kowalik a commanding 7 to 2 lead.
After the homer, she told Savanna Collins what her approach was in that moment. “Yeah, I mean, I’ve just been trying to focus on one bat at a time, one pitch at a time, and I felt like my last few at-bats I’ve gotten ahead of myself and just got weak contact. So I was just focusing on letting the ball travel a little bit and hitting it as hard as I could.”
Six runs crossed in the inning before Team Netz could finally escape.
Jennings Responds
Anissa Urtez, playing in her final week of professional softball before retirement, doubled with two outs in the bottom half of the inning but was stranded as Corrick notched her second strikeout of the frame.
Taylor McQuillin came on in the third for Team Netz and settled things down. Other than a sharp liner to first by Ocasio, Team Kowalik was kept quiet for the first time all game.
Defense has been a highlight of every contest in this league, and it showed again in the third. Aubrey Leach robbed Tori Vidales of a hit with a diving stop and quick backhand flip to first. These kinds of plays have become routine, but they never stop being impressive.
Tiare Jennings stayed red hot in the bottom half, smashing a two out RBI-double to bring home Sydney McKinney and cut the deficit to 7 to 3. After giving up a walk to Netz, Georgina Corrick ended the inning with a strikeout of Mary Iakopo.
Warren’s First Blast
Things went south for McQuillin in the top of the fourth as she loaded the bases on three walks. It was not a case of wildness as much as it was persistence from Team Kowalik’s hitters, who kept battling and fouling off pitches until they finally worked their way aboard.
With two outs, Jessi Warren stepped in and delivered the crushing blow. She launched a grand slam that blew the game wide open and pushed Team Kowalik’s lead to 11 to 3. Jessi’s confidence has been there since the second half of the regular season, and even today she confirmed that confidence to Savanna Collins.
“It’s just, like, about your confidence, like, going up there in the box and having the mentality that you’re not gonna beat me. This is my batters box, and I’m gonna own it.”
Team Netz needed to push across a run to stay out of the run rule danger zone, and they came through in the bottom half of the inning. Jadelyn Allchin and Bella Dayton both reached on singles, giving Netz a chance to answer back. With two outs, Sydney McKinney came through with a clutch two RBI-double to trim the deficit to 11 to 5.
Faraimo Enters
McQuillin came back out for the top of the fifth, but after allowing runners on the corners with one out, Megan Faraimo was called in to take over. Faraimo was lights out in China with Team USA, and Team Netz hoped for the same success to keep them in somewhat of a striking distance. She delivered right away, striking out Delanie Wisz and then getting Korbe Otis to ground out to end the inning cleanly.
Alana Vawter relieved Georgina Corrick in the bottom half of the fifth and retired the side in order. Corrick’s outing closed with 4.0 innings pitched, five runs allowed on seven hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.
Warren Goes Deep Again
Faraimo kept her momentum going in the top of the sixth, recording a couple of strikeouts. Then Jessi Warren struck again, this time with a solo blast to right that put the 12th run on the board for Team Kowalik. Warren is on another level, and once again her confidence and ownership of the batter’s box has shown in a major way this summer.
Seventh Inning Finish
Jumping to the seventh, Erin Coffel continued her big day with a leadoff double to the wall. After a couple of outs, Korbe Otis brought Coffel home with an RBI-double off the center field wall to extend the lead to 13 to 5.
Today was an offensive show for Team Kowalik, fueled mostly by two innings of fireworks. Six runs came in the second and four more in the fourth.
Alana Vawter finished the job by shutting down the bottom of the seventh. She closed her three inning outing with no runs, no hits, one walk, and one strikeout.
Standouts of the Day
Jessi Warren and Erin Coffel had monster days. Warren went 2-for-3 with two home runs (1 Grand Slam), five RBIs, and three runs scored. Coffel went 3-for-4 with one home run (Grand Slam), four RBIs, and three runs scored.
All-Star Cup Leaderboard Update
After the opening day of Series 3, here is the Top 5:
- Kayla Kowalik – 1000 Points
- Rachel Garcia – 782 Points
- Erin Coffel – 738 Points
- Danieca Coffey – 690 Points
- Keilani Ricketts – 652 Points
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