Recap: McCleney climbs 16 spots to No. 4 on the leaderboard in 8-2 win

Eric Rhew

Aug 06, 2022

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Outfielder Haylie McCleney has made it a habit of getting on the basepaths early and often during the first two weeks of the 2022 Athletes Unlimited Softball Championship Season.

Her latest victim came in the form of Team Eberle on Saturday afternoon as the former Alabama standout went 3-for-3 with two walks and a home run to lead Team Mulipola to an 8-2 victory at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex.

The win allowed Team Mulipola to increase its record to 2-0 while Team Eberle saw its record even to 1-1.

McCleney, who earned MVP 1 honors for her efforts, tallied 256 points on the leaderboard to pace all players. She was followed by pitcher Danielle O’Toole, who garnered MVP 2 accolades after putting together a complete game effort and claimed 214 leaderboard points.

Corner infielder Amanda Chidester completed the MVP trio after going 3-for-5 with a home run and two singles while finishing with 190 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Mulipola exploded for four runs on five hits in the top of the second inning to take a 4-1 lead. McCleney got the scoring together with a three-run home run to right field with one out in the frame before outfielder Erika Piancastelli added an RBI single through the left side. Team Eberle trimmed the margin to 4-2 before Team Mulipola added two runs in each of the final two frames.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Despite the loss, pitcher Carrie Eberle still owns a 10-point lead over catcher Dejah Mulipola on the leaderboard heading into Sunday’s Week Two finale. However, McCleney jumped up 16 spots to fourth place after her 256-point outburst on Saturday.

GAME NOTES

O’Toole became the first pitcher to throw a complete game this season … It is also the second complete game of her Athletes Unlimited Softball Championship Season career.
Outfielder Victoria Hayward extended her hitting streak to 12 consecutive games after leading off the bottom of the first inning with an infield single.
Designated player Mia Davidson hit her first home run as a professional in the second inning with a solo shot to left field … Davidson became the 14th different player to hit a home run in the first 10 games this season.
Chidester hit her league-leading fourth home run of the season to lead off the top of the sixth inning … It was the seventh home run to lead off an inning this season.