AUSL Series Three Wraps Up!
Quick Recap: Team Netz 3, Team Coffey 2
Mariah Mazon got her first taste of All-Star Cup action and came out firing. She struck out both Morgan Zerkle and Tiare Jennings looking in the opening frame. Taylor McQuillin answered in the bottom half with two strikeouts of her own, and just like that the first inning belonged to the pitchers.
Things shifted in the second when Captain Devyn Netz ripped a leadoff double. Mazon battled through a bases loaded jam, but a walk to Zerkle brought Netz home and gave Team Netz the early 1-0 lead.
In the third, Tori Vidales added on with a solo home run to left, pushing the lead to 2-0. That’s when Team Coffey answered back. Danielle Gibson Whorton came up big with a two-run blast to even the score.
Team Netz regained control in the fifth. Netz doubled again, then scored on a sacrifice fly from Anissa Urtez, who is playing in her final week of professional softball. That run made it 3-2, and it turned out to be the difference.
Lexi Kilfoyl came in for relief work and looked sharp early with two strikeouts in the fifth. Sarah Willis handled the sixth for Coffey with a perfect inning, but Kilfoyl and her defense found a way out of trouble in the bottom half. Gibson Whorton and Ana Gold reached, yet Sydney McKinney made a clutch double play at third to stop the rally cold.
The seventh gave Coffey one more chance. Aliyah Andrews and Ali Newland both reached on infield hits to put the tying and winning runs on base. Kilfoyl held her ground, striking out Bri Ellis, watching Danieca Coffey line out to McKinney, and then getting Sierra Romero to ground out to finish it.
Team Coffey left two stranded as Team Netz closed out a 3-2 victory.
- MVP 1: Devyn Netz
- MVP 2: Lexi Kilfoyl
- MVP 3: Taylor Edward’s
- Defensive MVP: Sydney McKinney
Quick Recap: Team Kowalik 5, Team Ricketts 1
The question coming into game two was simple, could anyone make ground on Captain Kayla Kowalik? Short answer is.. No. Quick recap ahead.
Georgina Corrick took the circle for Team Kowalik and breezed through the first inning, allowing only a single to Hannah Flippen. Emma Lemley started for Team Ricketts and after giving up a leadoff single to Amanda Lorenz, she settled in to retire the side. Both pitchers made quick work of the first frame.
Team Ricketts got the early jump in the second. Sharlize Palacios ripped a hard single off the left field wall, then scored when Bubba Nickles-Camarena drove an RBI double into the gap. Corrick responded with two strikeouts, but Kendra Falby kept the pressure on with a single, followed by a walk to Paige Sinicki. The bases were loaded with two outs, but Corrick induced a groundout from Sydney Romero to escape.
Team Kowalik answered right back in the bottom half. Delanie Wisz doubled and Korbe Otis walked to put two on. Jessi Warren tied it up with an RBI single, then Victoria Hayward, also playing her last week of pro ball, smashed a two-RBI double to right to make it 3-1. The rally wasn’t finished. Amanda Lorenz launched a two-run homer to center, and just like that Kowalik’s squad jumped out to a commanding 5-1 lead.
That would be it for Lemley, as Keilani Ricketts came in from the bullpen, but the damage had been done.
From there, Corrick took control of the game. She struck out three more in the third, added two more in the fourth, and carried her dominance deep into the night. Team Ricketts threatened in the fifth but couldn’t cash in, and the bats stayed quiet the rest of the way.
Corrick finished the job herself, going the distance on 158 pitches. She racked up nine strikeouts, scattered seven hits, and allowed only one run in a masterful outing. Credit also to Kayla Kowalik, who called a terrific game behind the plate and kept her team locked in from start to finish.
Final score: Team Kowalik 5, Team Ricketts 1.
- MVP 1: Georgina Corrick
- MVP 2: Amanda Lorenz
- MVP 3: Victoria Hayward
- Defensive MVP: Kayla Kowalik
We are now down to the final series which starts Friday night. Here are the top four and the final captains:
- Kayla Kowalik – 1360
- Erin Coffel – 966
- Rachel Garcia – 948
- Keilani Ricketts – 880
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