Recap: Davidson’s grand slam seals 8-3 victory for Team McCleney

Eric Rhew

Jul 31, 2023

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Team McCleney may have needed to wait a couple of extra days to finish its Week One opener against Team Denham. But, if you ask any member of the team, they will probably tell you it was worth the wait.

Led by a trio of two-hit performances, Team McCleney secured an 8-3 victory over Team Denham to complete a de facto Athletes Unlimited Softball doubleheader at Parkway Bank Sports Complex on Monday afternoon.

Middle infielder Sierra Romero led the charge with a 2-for-3 effort and took MVP 1 honors with 228 leaderboard points. Romero drove in a run with a double in the first inning before adding a triple to right field in the second inning.

Pitcher Mariah Mazon, who earned the win in the circle, claimed MVP 2 recognition after throwing 3.2 innings of no-hit relief, including three strikeouts. Mazon finished the day with 194 leaderboard points, the second-highest total among the players in the game.

Catcher Mia Davidson completed the MVP trifecta for Team McCleney with a grand slam in the second inning to cap off a five-run outburst for the squad. The former Mississippi State star was also hit by a pitch and ended the day with 178 leaderboard points.

Outfielders Amanda Lorenz and Erika Piancastelli each registered two hits with a run batted in for Team Denham in the loss. Pitcher Alyssa Denham took the loss after allowing six runs, including five earned runs, over 1.2 innings with five hits.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After falling behind by a 2-1 margin in the first inning, Team McCleney erupted for five runs in the second frame for a 6-2 lead it did not concede. Outfielder Haylie McCleney got the outburst started with a RBI single before Davidson’s grand slam to left field added to the rally.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Romero’s 228 points lifted her into the top spot on the leaderboard, while outfielder Morgan Zerkle stands second with 380 points after a successful opening weekend. Team McCleney pitcher Megan Faraimo holds third place with 352 points pending the outcome of the game between Team Mulipola and Team Rhodes.

GAME NOTES

Team McCleney and Team Denham combined to score 11 runs in the contest … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every run scored this season as part of its ‘Round the Bases’ initiative.
The game was resumed on Monday after play was suspended on Friday night following a two-hour weather delay … The final two and a half innings were played in 41 minutes.
Team McCleney and Team Denham were a combined 18-for-41 in advancement opportunities, including an 11-of-23 effort from Team McCleney.
The teams were also 10-for-33 with runners on base and 7-for-25 with runners in scoring position.