Athletes Unlimited: Season Wraps Up with Great Play in the Final Four Games (#’s 27-30)

The Athletes Unlimited 2023 softball season concluded this weekend the final quartet of games which were held at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Ill.

Yesterday, we detailed who the overall winner was along with the Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Here’s a look at the results from the action in Games 27, 28, 29 & 30.

Thanks to AU’s Jade Hewitt, who has shot great photos for Athletes Unlimited all season long; those used in this article were by all by her.

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 Athletes Unlimited Softball Post-Game Notes/Game Recap

Game #27: Team Denham 4, Team Gibson 0 | August 26, 2023 | Parkway Bank Sports Complex (Rosemont, Ill.)

Team Denham Starters: Amanda Lorenz (LF), Haylie McCleney (CF), Kelsey Stewart-Hunter (1B), Sydney Romero (SS), Sam Fischer (3B), Gwen Svekis (C), Jordan Roberts (DP), Caroline Jacobsen (RF), Aubrey Leach (2B), Georgina Corrick (P)
Team Gibson Starters: Bubba Nickles (LF), Megan Wiggins (CF), Sierra Romero (2B), Danielle Gibson (1B), Rachel Garcia (DP), Nadia Taylor (3B), Taylor Edwards (C), Abby Ramirez (RF), Sis Bates (SS), Aleshia Ocasio (P)

Winning Pitcher: Georgina Corrick (1-4)
Losing Pitcher: Aleshia Ocasio (2-4)
Save: n/a
Time of Game: 2:01

Game MVPs: 

• #1 – Georgina Corrick (Team Denham), +60 points
• #2 – Gwen Svekis (Team Denham), +40 points
• #3 – Sam Fischer (Team Denham), +20 points

ROSEMONT, Illinois – Team Denham was just a couple of plays away from being able to use the word ‘perfect’ to describe its performance against Team Gibson in the first game of Saturday’s Athletes Unlimited Softball doubleheader at Parkway Bank Sports Complex.

Led by a dominating performance from pitcher Georgina Corrick, the squad posted its second consecutive win points sweep after blanking Team Gibson, 4-0, to move its record to 2-0 in the final week of the campaign. Team Gibson, meanwhile, dropped to 1-1 with the setback.

Corrick, who secured MVP 1 honors in the victory, tallied the maximum 264 possible points for a pitcher after giving up just two hits with five strikeouts. The former South Florida star was perfect through the first 4.1 innings before allowing a walk to pitcher Rachel Garcia.

Catcher Gwen Svekis claimed MVP 2 distinction and 200 leaderboard points after blasting a two-run home run in the third inning, while corner infielder Sam Fischer followed with MVP 3 honors after going 2-for-3 with a walk to earn 168 leaderboard points.

Garcia and middle infielder Sis Bates accounted for Team Gibson’s two hits in the loss. Pitcher Aleshia Ocasio suffered the loss in the circle after allowing two runs on five hits over 1.2 innings with a walk.

How It Happened: Team Denham scored all four of its runs in the first three innings. After Fischer singled up the middle in the first inning for a 1-0 lead, outfielder Amanda Lorenz drove in a run with a single to left field. Svekis completed the scoring in the third inning with a two-run home run to left field. Corrick, meanwhile, was untouchable in the first four innings and did not allow a base runner until the fifth inning.

Leaderboard Impact: Team captain Alyssa Denham moved into second place on the leaderboard with 1,758 points despite not playing in Saturday’s contest. The former Arizona standout, who finished in second place last season, stands just 18 points behind league leader Odicci Alexander pending the outcome of the nightcap between Team Flippen and Team Alexander. Svekis, meanwhile, rose to fifth place with her 200-point performance.

Game Notes:

• Team Denham and Team Gibson combined to score four runs during Saturday’s opener, upping the league’s season total to 187 runs through 27 games … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every run scored as part of its ‘Round the Bases’ initiative.
• Team Denham challenged a safe call on a ground ball by pitcherRachel Garcia with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, which was unsuccessful.
• Team Denham fashioned the 18th shutout in Championship Season history with its 4-0 blanking against Team Gibson on Saturday … It is also the seventh clean sheet of the season.
• Team Denham has won all 14 innings in its two victories this week while outscoring the opposition by an 11-1 margin.
• Team Denham registered the 31st win points sweep in Championship Season history, including the eighth sweep this season … All three games to begin Week Five have resulted in a sweep of the win points.
• Corrick becomes the fifth pitcher in Championship Season history to hurl a solo shutout, joining Garcia, Denham, Cat Osterman and Megan Faraimo … Osterman threw three shutouts in her two-year Athletes Unlimited career while Garcia, Faraimo and Denham have one clean sheet apiece.
• Corrick retired the side five times in Saturday’s victory, giving her 12 ‘1-2-3’ innings this season.
• Lorenz extended her hitting streak to four games with a single to lead off the game … Lorenz, who finished with two hits in the victory, is 8-for-13 during the four-game streak.
• Fischerhas hit safely in six consecutive outings after driving in a run with a single in the first inning.
• OutfielderHaylie McCleney has reached base safely in eight straight games after drawing a walk in the second inning.
• OutfielderBubba Nickles had her 11-game hitting streak snapped after going 0-for-3 in Saturday’s loss against Team Denham … Gibson also had her seven-game hitting streak halted after an 0-for-3 effort.

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Athletes Unlimited Softball Post-Game Notes/Game Recap

Game #28: Team Alexander 4, Team Flippen 0 | August 26, 2023 | Parkway Bank Sports Complex (Rosemont, Ill.)

Team Flippen Starters: Victoria Hayward (CF), Kelsey Harshman (2B), Tori Vidales (1B), Mia Davidson (C), Hannah Flippen (SS), Delanie Wisz (3B), Lilli Piper (DP), Jazmyn Jackson (LF), Sydney McKinney (RF), Carrie Eberle (P)
Team Alexander Starters: Aliyah Andrews (CF), Morgan Zerkle (LF), Anissa Urtez (SS), Dejah Mulipola (C), Erika Piancastelli (RF), Jessi Warren (3B), Odicci Alexander (DP), Andrea Filler (1B), Josie Muffley (2B), Taylor McQuillin (P)

Winning Pitcher: Carrie Eberle (0-2)
Losing Pitcher: Taylor McQuillin (3-1)
Save: n/a
Time of Game: 1:51

Game MVPs: 

• #1 – Taylor McQuillin (Team Alexander), +60 points
• #2 – Aliyah Andrews (Team Alexander), +40 points
• #3 – Dejah Mulipola (Team Alexander), +20 points

ROSEMONT, Illinois – It felt like old times watching Team Alexander take on Team Flippen in the second game of Saturday’s Athletes Unlimited Softball doubleheader at Parkway Bank Sports Complex.

The squad used stellar pitching and built an early lead to secure another shutout after blanking Team Flippen by a 4-0 count, evening Team Alexander’s record to 1-1 in the final week of the campaign. Team Flippen, meanwhile, dropped to 0-2 with a second straight setback.

Pitcher Taylor McQuillin, making her first start since August 18, was stellar in the circle for Team Alexander and secured MVP 1 honors along with 252 leaderboard points after scattering two hits over six innings with an Athletes Unlimited career-high eight strikeouts against one walk.

Team captain Odicci Alexander closed the game by getting the final three batters in order.

Outfielder Aliyah Andrews garnered MVP 2 honors after going 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and a run scored, but she may have received most of the MVP votes as a result of her diving catch in center field to finish the game.

Catcher Dejah Mulipola finished the MVP trio after belting a two-run home run in the third inning that extended Team Alexander’s advantage to 4-0. Mulipola, the 2022 Athletes Unlimited Softball champion, fashioned 188 leaderboard points after going 1-for-2 with a walk.

Middle infielder Kelsey Harshman and corner infielder Tori Vidales accounted for Team Flippen’s two hits. Harshman ended McQuillin’s no-hit bid with a double to right center field in the fourth inning, while Vidales opened the top of the seventh inning with a single up the middle.

Pitcher Carrie Eberle (0-2) took the loss for Team Flippen after conceding three runs on five hits in two innings with a walk and a strikeout.

How It Happened: Team Alexander scored two runs in the first inning and added two more runs in the third inning to build a 4-0 lead it did not relinquish. Meanwhile, McQuillin was nearly perfect in the circle and did not allow a hit until the fourth inning after retiring the first 10 hitters in order.

Leaderboard Impact: The win gave Alexander a 150-point lead over pitcher Alyssa Denham heading into the final day of the season on Sunday. Andrews, meanwhile, surged into fifth place after notching her 200-point performance in the victory.

Game Notes:

• Team Flippen and Team Alexander combined to score four runs during Saturday’s opener, upping the league’s season total to 191 runs through 28 games … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every run scored as part of its ‘Round the Bases’ initiative.
• Team Flippen challenged an out call at third base on middle infielderKelsey Harshman to end the top of the fourth inning, which was unsuccessful … In addition, Team Flippen challenged an out call on an at-bat by outfielder Victoria Hayward in the top of the sixth inning, which was also unsuccessful.
• Team Flippen and Team Alexander combined to register three double plays in Saturday’s game, marking the fifth time in Championship Season history a game has featured three double plays.
• Both of Saturday’s games ended with a shutout result, marking the second time in Championship Season history that both contests in a single day were shutouts … On August 21, 2022, Team Chidester beat Team Jaquish by a 1-0 margin while Team Mulipola had a 3-0 win over Team McCleney.
• McQuillin, who extended her Championship Season record with her 43rd career appearance, set a new personal Athletes Unlimited career high with eight strikeouts in Saturday’s nightcap … She had seven strikeouts against Team McCleney on July 29, 2023.
• Andrews upped her hitting streak to 10 consecutive games after leading off the bottom of the first inning with a double to left center field.
• Mulipola moved into sole possession of fourth place on the Championship Season all-time list with the 14th home run of her career in the third inning, which gave Team Alexander a 4-0 lead … It also marked her 21st career Athletes Unlimited home run between AUXand Championship Season play, which are the most by any player.
• Harshman has hit safely in nine of her last 11 games after her double in the fourth inning.
• CatcherMia Davidson has reached base safely in all 14 games this season after drawing a walk in the fifth inning.
• Vidales has hit safely in six of her last seven games after posting a single in the top of the seventh inning.

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Athletes Unlimited Softball Post-Game Notes/Game Recap

Game #29: Team Denham 6, Team Flippen 1 | August 27, 2023 | Parkway Bank Sports Complex (Rosemont, Ill.)

Team Denham Starters: Amanda Lorenz (LF), Haylie McCleney (CF), Kelsey Stewart-Hunter (1B), Sydney Romero (SS), Sam Fischer (3B), Gwen Svekis (C), Jordan Roberts (DP), Caroline Jacobsen (RF), Aubrey Leach (2B), Alyssa Denham (P)
Team Flippen Starters: Hannah Flippen (SS), Victoria Hayward (CF), Mia Davidson (C), Kelsey Harshman (2B), Tori Vidales (1B), Delanie Wisz (3B), Sydney McKinney (RF), Lilli Piper (DP), Jazmyn Jackson (LF), Mariah Mazon (P)

Winning Pitcher: Alyssa Denham (7-1)
Losing Pitcher: Mariah Mazon (5-2)
Save: n/a
Time of Game: 2:29

Game MVPs: 

• #1 – Alyssa Denham (Team Denham), +60 points
• #2 – Amanda Lorenz (Team Denham), +40 points
• #3 – Sydney Romero (Team Denham), +20 points

ROSEMONT, Illinois – Pitcher Alyssa Denham has done everything she can to gain the top spot on the Athletes Unlimited Softball leaderboard. And now, all she can do is wait.

The former Arizona standout, who earned second place in the 2022 standings, gave up one run on five hits to lead Team Denham to a 6-1 victory over Team Flippen in the penultimate game of the season on Sunday afternoon at Parkway Bank Sports Complex.

The win allowed Team Denham to finish the final week of the campaign with a perfect 3-0 record, while Team Flippen lost its third game in a row.

Denham, who finished with 222 leaderboard points, secured MVP 1 honors in leading her squad to a clean sweep of its three games. She registered three strikeouts while earning her league-leading seventh win in the circle.

Outfielder Amanda Lorenz paced the eight-hit attack for Team Denham by going 2-for-4 with a double, two runs batted in and a run scored. The former Florida standout was the game’s MVP 2 selection and ended her season by collecting 178 leaderboard points.

Corner infielder Sydney Romero, who tallied 168 leaderboard points, finished the MVP selections for Team Denham after posting a 2-for-3 effort with a triple and two runs batted in.

Outfielder Victoria Hayward paced Team Flippen in the loss with two hits and a run scored. Pitcher Mariah Mazon (5-2) suffered the loss in the circle after allowing four runs on four hits over 1.2 innings with two walks.

How It Happened: Team Denham sprinted to a 6-0 lead by scoring four runs in the second inning and two more runs in the fourth inning. Three doubles by middle infielder Aubrey Leach, Lorenz and outfielder Haylie McCleney accounted for the four runs in the second inning before a triple from Romero and a single by corner infielder Sam Fischer upped the advantage to 6-0.

Leaderboard Impact: Denham’s 222 points vaulted her into the top spot on the leaderboard with a 78-point advantage over pitcher Odicci Alexander ahead of the season finale between Team Gibson and Team Alexander. Romero, meanwhile, rose four spots into fifth place with 1,600 points while catcher Gwen Svekis stands fourth with 1,658 points.

Game Notes:

• Team Denham and Team Flippen combined to score seven runs during Sunday’s opener, upping the league’s season total to 198 runs through 29 games … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every run scored as part of its ‘Round the Bases’ initiative.
• Team Flippen challenged an out call made against catcherMia Davidson with one out in the top of the sixth inning, which was successful.
• Team Flippen was held to just one run in its three losses this week, equaling the fewest runs scored by a team in Championship Season history … Team Osterman was limited to just one run over three games during Week Four of the 2021 campaign.
• Team Denham won 19-of-21 innings during its three-game sweep and secured 340 out of a possible 360 win points in the season’s final week … The squad pitched back-to-back shutouts to open the week and conceded just one run, the lowest opponent run total in a week in Championship Season history.
• Team Denham outscored its opponents by an 18-1 margin in its three victories.
• Haywardclosed the season by hitting safely in 11 of her final 12 games after posting a pair of hits against Team Denham on Sunday.
• Corner infielderTori Vidales registered a hit in six of her final seven games after her RBI single in the sixth inning.

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Athletes Unlimited Softball Post-Game Notes/Game Recap

Game #30: Team Gibson 2, Team Alexander 1  | August 27, 2023 | Parkway Bank Sports Complex (Rosemont, Ill.)

Team Gibson starters: 48/lf B Nickles; 25/cf M Wiggins; 32/2b Si Romero; 5/1b D Gibson; 0/p R Garcia; 88/3b N Taylor; 12/c T Edwards; 10/rf A Ramirez; 22/ss S Bates;
Team Alexander starters: 11/cf A Andrews; 18/lf M Zerkle; 7/ss A Urtez; 15/c D Mulipola; 34/dp E Piancastel; 3/p O Alexander; 9/1b A Filler; 14/2b J Muffley; 30/3b J Warren; 90/rf M Huskey;

Winning Pitcher: Aleshia Ocasio (2-3)
Losing Pitcher: Peyton St. George (0-2)
Save: Alicia Casion/a
Time of Game: 2:23

ROSEMONT, Illinois – Team Gibson won the final game of the 2023 season and was led by the pitching of Rachel Garcia who went six innings giving up five hits and just one earned run. The former UCLA great struck out six and walked two.

Aleshi Ocasio picked up the save as she had a one-to-three bottom of the 7^th inning. Kathryn Sandercock took the loss as she gave up two runs, both in the top of the 6^th inning.

Team Alexander first baseman Andrea Filler homered to left field to lead off the bottom of the third inning and that was it for scoring until Team Gibson leadoff hitter Megan Wiggins homered to right-center to tie the game at 1-1.

With one out, team leader Danielle Gibson walked and advanced to third on a Rachel Garcia single through the right side of the infield. Nadia Taylor then, on a one ball, two strikes count, hit a fielder’s choice that would push ahead the eventual winning run.

Ocasio was able to get three groundouts in the bottom of the 7^th to give Team Gibson the victory in Game 30, the final contest of the season.