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After a strong opening season in 2020, Year 2 of Athletes Unlimited Softball got underway with familiar names and new stars making their presence known on Opening Day 2021.
Here’s a look at how the first two games of the season went on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021…
*****
Game 1: Team Hayward hits 4 homers in Opening Day victory against Team Warren
Opening Day 2.0 of Athletes Unlimited brought so many things to the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois.
Best of all, Saturday’s opener brought out fans – loud, enthusiastic softball fans of all ages who made their presence felt all afternoon.
Those fans were treated to a little bit of everything, including scorching heat and a cooling cloudburst, which brought welcome relief for about 10 minutes at the end of the second inning.
The spectators got what they came for in softball action, as Victoria Hayward’s team (Blue) put on a power and pitching display in a 6-2 victory over Jessica Warren’s team (Orange). Each player on Team Hayward received 50 points for the win and 50 more innings points.
Last season was played in an empty ballpark because of COVID-19, but there was an uplifting energy coming up from the field and echoing back down from the stands.
“You could definitely feel the difference,” said Team Hayward’s DJ Sanders, who gave the proceedings liftoff with a three-run homer in the top of the first inning.
Hayward, the only player to bat leadoff in all of her team’s games last season, fittingly opened Saturday’s contest with a walk and a stolen base.
After Hannah Flippen grounded out, Ali Aguilar was hit by a pitch from Danielle O’Toole. Sanders followed with the first home run of the Athletes Unlimited season, a high drive over the wall in left field. That earned Sanders 40 individual points. She also earned 60 points for being voted MVP 1 of the game.
“It was all of my hard work that I’ve been putting in paying off,” Sanders said. “And with my teammates and everything, it was a perfect moment.”
Team Hayward made it 5-0 in the fourth on solo homers by Gwen Svekis and Morgan Zerkle. That added 40 individual points to the 20 Svekis picked up in the first inning, when she doubled.
Team Warren got on the board in the bottom of the inning when Amanda Chidester led off with a home run to left field against Aleshia Ocasio.
Team Hayward got a leadoff homer from Morgan Howe in the top of the seventh. Howe, who hit two homers over the scoreboard in right-center last season, pulled a pitch from Jessica Burroughs down the line in right.
Ocasio picked up the victory with four innings of three-hit, one run ball. She got strong relief work from Amber Fiser and Haylie Wagner. Ocasio is a returning star who had her 2020 season interrupted when she had to go home for personal reasons.
So Saturday’s performance was special.
“It meant the world to me,” she said. “I just wanted to go out there and compete and get this win under our belt. But I was just excited to be out there. There were some nerves, but Gwen called a great game (behind the plate). We worked really well together. I’ve known her since I was in high school. I would say we did pretty well together. DJ threw up a three-run bomb and opened it up for us. It was just a great team effort.”
Ocasio was the game’s MVP 2, earning her 40 points. Amanda Chidester from Team Warren homered and singled to gain MVP 3 honors.
The big crowd also included many friends and family, including Svekis’ family.
“The fun of playing the games was a little bit more than it had been in past games, especially last year,” Svekis said. “The noise from the crowd gave us a lot of momentum when we got up. That meant everything.”
After the game, Svekis took to the stadium microphone and told the many young softball players in attendance that “you can be us one day.”
“A lot of dreams come from being able to see people involved in professions, not only for softball, but for a lot of other sports – to see pros in that arena and to dream to be there,” she said when asked about that. “I just wanted to let those girls know they could do anything they set their minds to.”
— Bruce Miles, Athletes Unlimited
*****
Game 2: Team Osterman hangs on in 3-2 victory against Team Piancastelli
There were a couple of very cool changings of the guard involving softball royalty Saturday night.
Put another way, the old guard gave way to the new guard, and then the new guard turned it back to the old guard.
Rookie sensation Odicci Alexander was every bit as good as hoped for as she made her first professional start for Team Osterman in a 3-2 victory over Team Piancastelli.
Alexander was cool and poised as she pitched into the fifth inning before she handed the ball over to the legendary Cat Osterman, last year’s inaugural season points Champion of Athletes Unlimited.
Osterman inherited a 3-1 lead with a runner on first base. She immediately committed a throwing error, but like the veteran she is, she was able to limit damage in the inning to only a run, preserving the lead.
That enabled Alexander to earn the victory in her first pro start after she helped lead James Madison University to a historic run to the Women’s College World Series.
She pitched four innings, giving up three hits and two runs, one earned. She scored a total of 178 points for the game, including 40 for MVP 2 honors.
As for getting the call to start ahead of Osterman, Alexander seemed honored.
“I don’t know what to say to that,” she said. “I was just excited to be on the team with her. I think we complement each other very well. It was a dream, obviously.”
For Osterman, ceding the honor was all about trying to win the game.
“I assumed that they (Team Piancastelli) were going to assume that I was going to start,” she said. “Last year I started Games 1 and 3. I thought she was not very familiar to a lot of these hitters, so I was going to go with the odds being in our favor that they haven’t seen her a whole lot. Like she said, we complement each other pretty well, so if I went in after her, it would be a very different look, and it was.”
Alexander’s teammates helped her to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning against Sara Groenewegen .
Aliyah Andrews led off with a single. After Haylie McCleney grounded into a force-out, Sahvanna Jaquish doubled to put runners on second and third. Tori Vidales drove both home with a double of her own.
Vidales earned MVP 1 honors and 60 extra points, to give her 190.
Team Osterman put up a a run in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Shelby Pendley.
Unlike Saturday’s first game, which featured five total home runs, there were no homers hit in this game, making it only the second game in the two-year history of Athletes Unlimited without a home run.
Team Piancastelli scored in the fourth as Kelsey Harshman led off with a single and later scored on a wild pitch by Alexander, who was just late in tagging Harshman out at the plate.
Things began to get dicey in the top of the fifth when Alexander walked Courtney Gano to start the inning. A murmur grew to a cheer from the crowd when Osterman came out of the dugout to replace Alexander in the circle.
Osterman committed a throwing error on Janie Reed’s grounder that allowed pinch runner Ciara Bryan to go to third. After a popout, Bryan scored on a fielder’s choice, but Osterman got two outs to end the threat.
“I came in and was like, ‘Oops, sorry, Bud,’” Osterman said. “I didn’t get us out of that as smoothly as it played out in my head, but thankfully she got the victory and I probably got the save (she did). We were playing the odds of lefty on lefty. If I make a throw, it’s a completely different inning.”
MVP 3 honors went to Jaquish, who started behind the plate.
As far as a changing of the guard, Osterman was philosophical and gracious toward Alexander.
“It’s cool,” she said. “I would hope that softball fans understand what they’re seeing. There is going to be a changing of the guard. She has a bright future in this because I know that if there’s one thing I’ve learned, she’s going to learn and continue to get better. She’s going to continue to find her way to be successful in this realm. It will be fun to watch. I hope softball fans continue to follow. Obviously she got a huge following in the World Series, rightfully so, well deserved. Hopefully they continue to follow her into this and we can continue to grow Athletes Unlimited even more behind her.”
As for Osterman’s own future, she’s making this her last season.
“I’m just here to have some fun, throw some softball and ride this out,” she said. There’s not a lot of pressure for me to win again. If I do, great. I just want to have fun, put a good team on the field if I’m the captain and enjoy the moment for the five weeks we are playing.”
— Bruce Miles, Athletes Unlimited