Weekend 2 of the Athletes Unlimited season saw the biggest offensive output of the season as Cat Osterman’s team smacked five home runs in the early game and in the later game Aleshia Ocasio went to the distance.
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Game 7: Team Osterman Slugs 6 Homers in 15-1 Win over Team Vidales
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The power returned in a big way Saturday at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex.
After Athletes Unlimited Softball was dominated mostly by pitching in Week 1, the power hitters found their stroke Saturday in a 15-1 victory for Team Osterman over Team Vidales in the first of two games in Rosemont.
Cat Osterman’s Orange team blasted five homers to one for Team Vidales to open play this weekend.
Osterman’s teams have scored 15 runs in each of their last two games, finishing Week 1 with 15 and beginning Week 2 with 15.
The team piled up 16 hits Saturday, including home runs from Morgan Zerkle, Amanda Chidester, Kelsey Stewart, Jessi Warren and Anissa Urtez.
“We’re just going out every day as hitters trying to see the ball and hit the ball,” said Chidester, who leads the league with three homers. “Just having an approach and sticking with it. I do like what the hitters have been doing. It’s just been great.”
The first four batters of the game reached against Taran Alvelo. Aliyah Andrews singled over shortstop into short left field. Zerkle followed with her second home run of the season, an opposite-field drive to left-center. She hit none all of last season. Zerkle also walked, singled, doubled and drove in five runs.
What accounts for the recent power surge?
“I spent a lot of time in the weight room in the off-season,” said Zerkle, the game’s MVP 1, earning her 60 extra points, giving her a total of 258 points for the game and vaulting her from No. 20 to fourth on the overall leader board with 526 points. “I’m just getting more comfortable with my swing and utilizing it.”
Zerkle also credited teammate Chidester for some tips.
“Just some mechanical adjustments to make sure I’m getting on time and getting to the ball most efficiently,” Zerkle said, before adding with a laugh, “I can’t tell everyone our secrets.”
Warren walked, and Chidester followed with her third homer of the season, another blast to left-center That prompted a change of pitchers, with Alyssa Denham replacing Alvelo.
Team Osterman wound up with five runs in the inning, sending 10 batters to the plate. Jordan Roberts added an RBI single to close out the scoring.
Captain Tori Vidales got her team on the board in the bottom of the first with a booming home run to left-center.
The home run barrage continued in the fourth for Team Osterman, with Stewart blasting her first of the season, a three-run drive to right center. Warren picked up her first homer and first hit of the year to lead off the top of the fourth. Warren’s homer went to straight-away center field.
Stewart gained 40 extra points for being MVP 2, while Warren added 20 for being voted MVP 3 by her peers.
There was a pass-the-baton mentality for the winning team Saturday.
“I think it’s just easy,” Stewart said. “We’re relying on each other. There’s no pressure. You’re just able to swing the bat free.
Osterman (2-0) pitched 5.2 innings for Team Orange. She gave up two hits and one run while walking three and striking out four. She gave way to Randi Rupp, who retired all four batters she faced.
— Bruce Miles, Athletes Unlimited
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Game 8: Ocasio Goes the Distance in 4-1 Win over Team Piper
ROSEMONT, Ill. – A light rain fell for much of Saturday night’s second game of Athletes Unlimited Softball.
A Purple rain, perhaps? And if Lilli Piper’s Team Purple continues to play as it did in a 4-1 victory over Team Gold, could we be looking at a Purple reign?
That all remains to be seen, but Piper’s perceptive and astute drafting appears to be paying off early in Week 2.
Piper selected pitcher Aleshia Ocasio first overall in last Tuesday’s draft, and Ocasio sparkled with a complete-game four-hitter.
Ocasio walked only one and struck out five as she faced 26 batters.
It all made for a fun night for Piper’s Purple players.
“I was honored to be picked first,” said Ocasio, who improved to 2-0 this season. “Really, my goal this week was to give my team a chance and try to keep the score down for the opponent. Lilli put together a good team. It showed tonight that we work really well together and feed off each others’ energy. We had a lot of fun, and I think that was most important in this win.”
Gold captain Sahvanna Jaquish gave her team the lead with a one-out solo homer in the top of the first inning. The homer was Jaquish’s second of the season.
But that was it, as Ocasio settled into a nice groove. For her efforts, she earned 60 extra points for being named MVP 1. Her 626 points for the season place her second overall to fellow pitcher Cat Osterman.
“I felt really good,” she said. “I just wanted to compete. I think I’m a fierce competitor. I was in the circle and did my best to keep people off base and off balance as well. I was really using my off-speed pitch and really mixing well. Gwen (catcher Svekis, Piper’s second-round pick) called a really great game, and I give a lot of credit to her and to the defense because the pitchers are nothing without their fielders.”
Team Purple powered its way to a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second. Caleigh Clifton led off with a walk against Sara Groenewegen. DJ Sanders followed with her second home run of the season, a drive to left. Seconds later Amanda Sanchez homered to center, her first of the season.
The team has adopted a unicorn as a mascot, and the home run hitters got to take it for a ride.
“It is really fun,” said Sanders, the MVP 2. Sanchez was MVP 3. “We actually practiced just to make sure we would nail it, our little home run trot. This is a fun group for sure.”
Purple got one more in the fourth. Jazmyn Jackson doubled to right with one out. After Kelsey Harshman flied out, Ali Aguilar singled to center, scoring Jackson. Team Gold got good relief from Amber Fiser and Odicci Alexander, each of whom tossed scoreless ball after Groenewegen went 3.2 innings.
This is Aguilar’s first season in Athletes Unlimited, so she is getting used to the changing weekly dynamic of being on a different team.
“Yeah, I think it’s always different, depending on the different types of players you have together,” she said. “I feel like this team obviously has a lot of fun. We’ve all bought into our team name, if you can’t tell. Yeah, it’s just a lot of fun. Each week is getting better.”
And pretty soon, this team may have people believing unicorns are real.
— Bruce Miles, Athletes Unlimited
