As Series Three of the AUSL Cup is underway in Rosemont, the top of the leaderboard has some names to softball fans. Catcher Kayla Kowalik entered as the captain of Team Gold atop the leaderboard. Outfielder Danieca Coffey is leading Team Blue, pitchers Keliani Ricketts and Devyn Netz are captaining Teams Orange and Purple, respectively. That being said, here is a recap of the opening doubleheader (Games Ten and Eleven) of the AUSL Cup.
Game Ten: Another Stellar Effort In The Circle
Here, Coffey and the Blue squad faced Ricketts and Team Orange in this game where the offense started in the second inning. Ana Gold put Team Coffey on the board first with an RBI double in the top of the inning. Also, Dejah Mulipola went deep with a two-run home run, giving Team Blue an early 3-0. However, Team Ricketts answered with a two-run homer by Sharlize Palacios to close the gap with a 3-2 score.
Danielle Gibson Whorton hit an RBI single in the top of the fourth to give the Blue squad a 4-2 lead. In the end, that 4-2 score would be the final score, giving Team Coffey a 130 win points. Pitcher Rachel Garcia won MVP 1 honors as she tossed another complete game in this AUSL Cup . She allowed seven hits, an earned run, and struck out six. What’s more, Garcia threw the first-ever complete game shutout in AUSL Cup history.
Next, Mulipola took home MVP 2 honors as the catcher went two-for-three at the plate with two RBIs as teammate Gibson Whorton was the MVP 3. She had two hits and an RBI in the win. Finally, outfielder Sierra Sacco was the Defensive MVP for Team Ricketts.
Game Eleven: Grand Slams Galore In Rosemont
While the first game of the doubleheader was centered on pitching, this matchup was all about offense. Teams Gold and Purple squared off in the second game as the bats got hot early on. In the top of the first, Kowalik hit a RBI double to right center to give her squad the early 1-0 lead. Yet, Tiare Jennings slammed a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to give Team Netz the 2-1 lead. Nonetheless, it was all Team Kowalik in the second inning with six runs.
Photo Credit: AUSL
To begin, Amanda Lorenz picked up an RBI via a walk as Kowalik added another RBI on a single. Afterwards, the power off the bat of Erin Coffel delivered with a grand slam to center field to close the offense out in the inning. Jennings hit an RBI double in the bottom of third inning, but Jessi Warren hit another grand slam for Team Kowalik in the top of the fourth. Despite Sydney McKinney‘s two-run double for Team Netz in the bottom of the fourth, Team Gold was not done.
Warren went yard once again in the top of the sixth as Korbe Otis added an RBI double in the seventh for the 13-5 victory. Coffel won MVP 1 honors thanks to her three hits, including the grand slam. Similarly, Warren was the MVP 2 as she had five RBIs on the game and a grand slam. Jennings was the MVP 3 of the game as she accounted for three RBIs. Lastly, Aubrey Leach was the Defensive MVP for Team Kowalik.
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