Recap: Gibson propels team to 4-1 win, Team Alexander ends week 3-0

Eric Rhew

Aug 13, 2023

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Pitcher Odicci Alexander’s first week as an Athletes Unlimited Softball captain couldn’t have gone any better and she used a simple formula to earn all three of her wins – get solid pitching and score four runs in each game.

The formula worked perfectly in Sunday afternoon’s clash with Team Romero as the squad completed a perfect week with a 4-1 victory to begin the final doubleheader of Week Three at Parkway Bank Sports Complex.

Corner infielder Danielle Gibson led the Team Alexander offense by going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and three runs batted in, earning MVP 1 honors to finish the evening with 238 leaderboard points.

Outfielder Bubba Nickles, who collected 198 leaderboard points in the victory, claimed MVP 2 distinction after scoring two runs in addition to hitting a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning.

Alexander, meanwhile, secured MVP 3 commendations after throwing 2.0 innings of scoreless relief with one strikeout while allowing one hit. Pitcher Alyssa Denham upped her record to 3-1 after allowing one unearned run on four hits over 4.0 innings with two strikeouts.

Rookie Kathryn Sandercock registered her third save of the season after allowing one hit and recording a strikeout in the seventh inning.

Corner infielder Sydney Romero paced Team Romero in the loss with two hits, including a double, while Rachel Garcia drove in the team’s lone run with a fielder’s choice in the first inning. Garcia also threw 3.1 innings in relief and registered six strikeouts.

Aleshia Ocasio (1-3) suffered the loss after giving up two runs on two hits over 2.2 innings with one strikeout and a walk.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After Garcia drove in a run with a fielder’s choice in the first inning, Team Alexander responded with four unanswered runs over the final five innings to claim the victory. Gibson doubled in two runs during the third inning before Nickles’ solo blast to left field upped the lead to 3-1. Gibson added a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning for the final margin.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Gibson rose eight spots in the league standings after her 238-point performance, moving her into third place with 1,020 points. Alexander, meanwhile, holds first place with 1,356 points while Nickles follows in second place with 1,168 leaderboard points.

GAME NOTES

Team Alexander and Team Romero combined to score five runs in Sunday’s opener, lifting the league’s season total to 115 runs through 17 games … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every run scored during the season as part of its ‘Aspiration Round the Bases’ initiative.
Team Alexander outscored its opponents by a 12-4 margin in the three-game sweep, including a 4-0 blanking against Team Davidson on Saturday.
The teams were a combined 9-for-25 in advancement opportunities, but were only 3-for-24 with runners on base.
Four of Team Romero’s six hits came with two outs while Team Alexander was 2-for-9 in two-out situations.
Sandercock matched the Athletes Unlimited Softball single-season record by recording her third save of the campaign, equaling the three saves by Garcia during the 2022 campaign … Her three saves also tie Garcia for the most career saves in Championship Season history.
Sydney Romero notched her first multi-hit game of the season … She had tallied just four hits in her first eight appearances.
Gibson, meanwhile, has six hits in her last three games after accumulating five hits in her first six outings.