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Pro News: Athletes Unlimited Softball Games 19 & 20 See Aleshia Ocasio Win in Her Return and Cat Osterman Suffer Her First Loss

Aleshia Ocasio took a no-hitter into the 6th inning in Game 19. Photo Credit: Jade Hewitt Media.

Week 4 of the Athletes Unlimited softball season began with the welcomed return of pitcher Aleshia Ocasio and saw points leader Cat Osterman suffer her first lost after winning seven.

Here are recaps of the games today written by Bruce Miles for Athletes Unlimited and photos courtesy of Jade Hewitt Media.

*****

Game 19: Aleshia Ocasio pitches three-hitter in 2-1 win over Team Reed in return

Welcome back to Athletes Unlimited, Aleshia Ocasio.

Ocasio announced her return to play with an exclamation point Saturday by flirting with a no-hitter before eventually tossing a complete-game three-hitter for Team Warren in a tense and taut 2-1 victory over Team Reed.

The game overall was a great advertisement for Athletes Unlimited Softball as it featured strong pitching by both starters, power hitting, hustle and good fielding.

Ocasio out-dueled Team Reed lefty Danielle O’Toole, who gave up back-to-back home runs in the top of the first inning to captain Jessie Warren and catcher Erika Piancastelli, who has a season-leading five.

The first hit Ocasio gave up was a one-out line-drive single to Amanda Chidester in the sixth. She gave up a one-out homer to Sam Fischer in the bottom of the seventh but worked out of a jam after a two-out hustle double to center by Jazmyn Jackson and a walk to Hannah Flippen as she got Kylan Becker on a game-ending popout.

Ocasio expressed gratitude for the support she received as she missed last weekend to tend to a family emergency.

“The support was great,” she said. “There were so many people with prayers and thoughts that were sent to me and my family, to my fiancé’s family. I was overjoyed to know that the whole organization was supportive of what was happening at home.

“It feels good to be back. It was unfortunate circumstances, but it feels good to be back on the field and do what I do.”

Ocasio walked three, struck out two and hit a pair of batters. She was voted MVP 1 of the game and earned 60 additional points for that. As far as what was working, she said: “Whatever Erika (Piancastelli) was calling.”

In addition to hitting home runs. Piancastelli has excelled as a leader this season, both behind the plate and as the emergency captain for Ocasio last week.

Game 19 points

“I was very shocked at first when they put me in the role because I wasn’t expecting it,” she said. “But me and Lele (Ocasio) have this connection, and I knew exactly what she wanted to do with the team. So I was really honored to be able to keep that going and keep the energy and the vibes really high. I learned about the role. You always have to be on your toes. You have to be ready. You have to be able to understand your team well and how it responds to certain situations.

“So it was a very humbling experience, and I was super excited that I was able to do that.”

As far as her own power surge that plate, Piancastelli said she wasn’t sure about that.

“The vibes at AU, I guess,” she said. “I just feel really good. I feel calm in the box. I’m just seeing the ball really well right now. I’m trusting my swing, and I’m swinging hard every single time. It’s also just nice to know that my team supports me. Whether I hit a home run or not, they’re always cheering for me.”

Warren has been a captain before. But she was able to manage the tension of this game, going as far to say she didn’t know there was a no-hitter going on until the sixth.

“I have anxieties, and my anxieties are pretty high,” she said. “I don’t know about the other girls, but I do a good job of trying to calm it down with breathing. But there were a little bit of nerves. It kind of felt like a World Series game again. It was pretty cool to have that anxiety and nervous feeling of the game because I haven’t had that in a while. But there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Lele was going to be able to go after the next two batters. We had a plan in putting Hannah (Flippen) on base and (pitching to) Kylan (Becker). That worked and came out perfectly fine.

“Nerves were high, but it was a good nervous.”

The interesting thing about Athletes Unlimited play is that both teams have ample opportunity to score points. Team Warren picked up 10 points for winning the first inning and 50 more for winning the game. With the game being scoreless until the bottom of the seventh that enabled Team Reed to pick up 60 innings points.

Fischer earned 40 points for MVP 2 honors, and Warren picked up 20 for being voted MVP 3.

Here are the Game 19 video highlights:

*****

Sahvanna Jaquish hit her third home run in the last two games facing Cat Osterman who she dinged again in Game 20. Photo Credit: Jade Hewitt Media.
Game 20: SAHVANNA JAQUISH HITS TWO HOMERS AS TEAM HAYWARD HANDS OSTERMAN HER FIRST LOSS

Haylie Wagner has drawn the toughest card in Athletes Unlimited Softball play so far, but on Saturday, it was Wagner who came up aces.

For a fourth time this season, Wagner went up against fellow lefty Cat Osterman as her pitching opponent. Each time out, Wagner acquitted herself well, but finally on Saturday, she came out on the winning side as Team Hayward got the best of Team Osterman 4-1 in the day’s second game at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont.

Both pitchers tossed complete games as Wagner and the Team Hayward power attack handed Osterman her first defeat after seven straight victories to begin Athletes Unlimited play.

Team Hayward got a pair of homers from Sahvanna Jaquish, who has three homers in her last two games against Osterman.

With Saturday’s game still in doubt in the top of the seventh at 2-1, Jaquish and Haylie McCleney hit back-to-back solo homers to give Wagner a little breathing room.

Wagner worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh and then waded into a sea of appreciative teammates.

“It’s definitely a great feeling, especially the fourth time around,” said Wagner, who improved to 4-4 after giving up four hits, including a first-inning RBI triple to DJ Sanders. “But she (Osterman) is a great competitor. I love competing against her, and I know when I go out there that it’s going to be a tough game, and she’s going to bring her best stuff.”

Of course, pitchers don’t pitch against other pitchers. They pitch against the other team’s lineup. But Wagner knew she would have to bring it with Osterman in the circle for the other team.

“Absolutely,” she said. “You have to no matter with anybody in this league. You have to attack ’em. You have to go after ’em. You just have to keep going for it and bring your best stuff that day.”

Game 20 points

Wagner earned MVP 2 honors for an extra 40 points to go along with the 110 team points and 74 pitching points.

Earning MVP 1 honors was Jaquish, who took over the Athletes Unlimited overall lead in homers with six.

“I’m just being aggressive,” said Jaquish, who earned 40 points for each homer and another 10 when she was hit by a pitch. “She (Osterman) is a great competitor, like Wags was saying. So it’s a battle every time I step in the box against her. Just being aggressive and trusting myself.”

McCleney had a single and a stolen base in addition to her homer, which she hit seconds after Jaquish finished running the bases and getting mobbed by her teammates.

“Cat’s one of the best pitchers in the world so you know she’s going to try to get ahead early, especially after she gives up a home run,” McCleney said. “Just looking for something over the middle of the plate to drive. There’s a reason Cat doesn’t get a lot scored against her. We all bought in as a group as an offense of just trying to support Wags as best we could. She did her job. The offense did their job and came out with the W.”

McCleney, who earned an extra 20 points for being voted MVP 3, has played both for and against Osterman this year.

“She’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met,” she said. “I think that is what has gotten her to this point, all of her accomplishments. She’s a Hall of Famer in every single Hall of Fame that exists in my book. You don’t get that far without being competitive. She wants to win more than anybody. She’s fun to compete against. She’s fun to compete with. She’s a true professional in that way. The game better because of her.”

Things should be very interesting the rest of the weekend. Osterman had not been on a losing side until Saturday. Team Hayward will play Team Reed Sunday (1 p.m. ET/noon CT, ESPN2), and Team Osterman will play Team Warren (4 p.m. ET/3 CT, ESPN2).

Team Hayward left Saturday with a good feeling.

“I love being on this team and the Blue Angels and just knowing this team has my back no matter what, and I’m going to have theirs,” Wagner said. “I love this team. It’s great.”

Here are the Game 20 video highlights:

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