Early fireworks from Sydney Romero and Tori Vidales lift Team Willis, while Willis, McQuillin, and good defense sealed the win
Willis Strikes Early, Defense and Bullpen Finish the Job
Last night Team Willis squared off against Team Falby in Rosemont. After elite defense and pitching carried Team Kowalik to a 5-0 win over Team Falby the night before, this matchup was decided almost instantly. Although things settled down, Team Falby could never fully recover in a 3-2 loss.
Defense set the tone right away. Ana Gold and Sydney Romero both made stellar plays in the opening half inning to deny Kendra Falby and Sydney McKinney opportunities to reach base. Sarah Willis then forced Morgan Zerkle into a groundout to complete a clean frame.
Team Willis wasted no time at the plate against Payton Gottshall. Sierra Sacco singled and advanced on a fielding error before Sydney Romero ripped an RBI-triple to make it 1-0. Tori Vidales followed with a two-run homer to left, stretching the lead to 3-0 with no outs recorded. That forced a quick change as Odicci Alexander entered the circle to steady Team Falby.
Alexander calmed things down with a strikeout to Sharlize Palacios and worked out of the jam without further damage. From there, pitching became the story. Alexander tossed two solid innings, giving up just one hit and one walk, before handing it to Georgina Corrick. Corrick delivered four strong innings of relief, allowing only three hits while striking out four.
Team Falby’s offense began to chip away in the middle innings. In the fourth, three straight singles set the stage for Danielle Gibson Whorton to bring home Sydney McKinney, trimming the deficit to 3-1. An inning later, Anissa Urtez drew a walk and scored on a Michaela Edenfield pinch-hit double, cutting it to 3-2. That ended Willis’ night as Taylor McQuillin came in to protect the lead.
Defense once again came up big in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Tori Vidales tried to score on an Ana Gold single, but Bella Dayton fired a perfect strike from left field and Mary Iakopo applied the tag at the plate. The play looked like it might spark momentum for Team Falby, but Taylor McQuillin and her infield quickly silenced any chance of a rally in the top of the sixth, stranding Morgan Zerkle after her leadoff single.
Georgina Corrick continued to do her part to keep Team Willis stuck at three runs. In the bottom of the sixth, she struck out two batters to bring her strikeout total to four and once again gave Team Falby a chance to rally.
However, McQuillin and her defense held firm in the seventh, shutting down Team Falby’s last chance effort. With one out, Anissa Urtez and Ciara Briggs reached base, but McQuillin struck out Michaela Edenfield and induced a groundout from Kendra Falby to seal the 3-2 win for Team Willis.
Who claimed MVP honors last night? Tori Vidales stamped MVP 1 by her name, Georgina Corrick earned MVP 2, Taylor McQuillin took MVP 3, and Sydney Romero secured Defensive MVP.
The win not only gave Team Willis the edge on the night, but also shook up the leaderboard:
- Kayla Kowalik 650 (no movement)
- Keilani Ricketts 474 (no movement)
- Sarah Willis 472 (up seven spots)
- Rachel Garcia 458 (down one spot)
- Taylor McQuillin 406 (up 13 spots)
Team Willis will return to action tonight against Team Kowalik at 7:00 PM EDT on ESPNU.
Game Highlights Via Athletes Unlimited X (Twitter)
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