Recap: Corrick rises 7 spots with 10 strikeout outing

Georgina Corrick is the latest example of this surge as her complete game victory propelled the rookie to 244 leaderboard points and a 2-1 victory for Team Zerkle in Friday’s opener against Team Fischer at SDSU Softball Stadium.

A day after Danielle O’Toole spun the first complete game of the AUX season, Corrick joined her in the exclusive club to claim MVP 1 honors. The South Florida product set a league season high with 10 strikeouts while giving up one run on six hits. Her efforts allowed Team Zerkle to claim 110 of the 120 possible win points in the victory.

The top five hitters in Team Zerkle’s lineup accounted for six of the squad’s seven hits, including a two-hit performance by team captain Morgan Zerkle. Outfielder Haylie McCleney also chipped in her first home run of the season with a solo blast to lead off the first inning.

Team Fischer, which lost for the second straight game, was paced by team captain Sam Fischer’s two hits. Pitcher Alyssa Denham took the loss after surrendering the opening marker while striking out three in 2.0 innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After McCleney opened the scoring with a solo shot in the bottom of the first inning, Team Zerkle extended the lead to 2-0 with an RBI single by corner infielder Nadia Taylor in the fifth inning. Team Fischer ended the shutout bid in the sixth on catcher Taylor Edwards’ single that plated outfielder Megan Wiggins.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Corrick’s 244 leaderboard points elevated the rookie seven spots up the leaderboard, putting her in seventh place among the 43 players. McCleney also moved up six positions to 11th place.

GAME NOTES

• Outfielder Victoria Hayward missed the game to attend Team Canada’s celebration of its Bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics … It marked the first contest Hayward has missed in her three-year Athletes Unlimited career, snapping a streak of 39 consecutive games.

• The three combined runs equaled a single-game low this season … Team Fischer defeated Team Gibson, 3-0, on June 20.

• Corrick threw 110 pitches in the complete game victory, including 75 for strikes.

• Pitcher Sydney Littlejohn Watkins threw 4.0 innings of relief for Team Fischer … The former Alabama standout scattered three hits with one strikeout in her outing while allowing one run.

• Corrick became the first pitcher to record 10 strikeouts in an AU Softball game since Cat Osterman tallied 10 strikeouts against Team McCleney on Sept. 13, 2021 … It is the sixth time in Athletes Unlimited Softball history a pitcher has posted 10 or more strikeouts in a game.

• Corrick also joins Osterman as the only pitchers in AU Softball history to post double digit strikeouts in a game … Osterman did it five times in her two seasons.

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Georgina Corrick (Team Zerkle, +60)
• #2 – Haylie McCleney (Team Zerkle, +40)
• #3 – Nadia Taylor (Team Zerkle, +20)