Recap: McQuillin pitches 6 scoreless innings to secure 4-0 win for Team Alexander
ROSEMONT, Ill. — It felt like old times watching Team Alexander take on Team Flippen in the second game of Saturday’s Athletes Unlimited Softball doubleheader at Parkway Bank Sports Complex.
The squad used stellar pitching and built an early lead to secure another shutout after blanking Team Flippen by a 4-0 count, evening Team Alexander’s record to 1-1 in the final week of the campaign. Team Flippen, meanwhile, dropped to 0-2 with a second straight setback.
Pitcher Taylor McQuillin, making her first start since August 18, was stellar in the circle for Team Alexander and secured MVP 1 honors along with 252 leaderboard points after scattering two hits over six innings with an Athletes Unlimited career-high eight strikeouts against one walk.
Team captain Odicci Alexander closed the game by getting the final three batters in order.
Outfielder Aliyah Andrews garnered MVP 2 honors after going 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and a run scored, but she may have received most of the MVP votes as a result of her diving catch in center field to finish the game.
Catcher Dejah Mulipola finished the MVP trio after belting a two-run home run in the third inning that extended Team Alexander’s advantage to 4-0. Mulipola, the 2022 Athletes Unlimited Softball champion, fashioned 188 leaderboard points after going 1-for-2 with a walk.
Middle infielder Kelsey Harshman and corner infielder Tori Vidales accounted for Team Flippen’s two hits. Harshman ended McQuillin’s no-hit bid with a double to right center field in the fourth inning, while Vidales opened the top of the seventh inning with a single up the middle.
Pitcher Carrie Eberle (0-2) took the loss for Team Flippen after conceding three runs on five hits in two innings with a walk and a strikeout.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Team Alexander scored two runs in the first inning and added two more runs in the third inning to build a 4-0 lead it did not relinquish. Meanwhile, McQuillin was nearly perfect in the circle and did not allow a hit until the fourth inning after retiring the first 10 hitters in order.
LEADERBOARD IMPACT
The win gave Alexander a 150-point lead over pitcher Alyssa Denham heading into the final day of the season on Sunday. Andrews, meanwhile, surged into fifth place after notching her 200-point performance in the victory.
GAME NOTES
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Team Flippen and Team Alexander combined to score four runs during Saturday’s opener, upping the league’s season total to 191 runs through 28 games … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every run scored as part of its ‘Round the Bases’ initiative.
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Team Flippen challenged an out call at third base on middle infielder Kelsey Harshman to end the top of the fourth inning, which was unsuccessful … In addition, Team Flippen challenged an out call on an at-bat by outfielder Victoria Hayward in the top of the sixth inning, which was also unsuccessful.
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Team Flippen and Team Alexander combined to register three double plays in Saturday’s game, marking the fifth time in Championship Season history a game has featured three double plays.
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Both of Saturday’s games ended with a shutout result, marking the second time in Championship Season history that both contests in a single day were shutouts … On August 21, 2022, Team Chidester beat Team Jaquish by a 1-0 margin while Team Mulipola had a 3-0 win over Team McCleney.
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McQuillin, who extended her Championship Season record with her 43rd career appearance, set a new personal Athletes Unlimited career high with eight strikeouts in Saturday’s nightcap … She had seven strikeouts against Team McCleney on July 29, 2023.
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Andrews upped her hitting streak to 10 consecutive games after leading off the bottom of the first inning with a double to left center field.
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Mulipola moved into sole possession of fourth place on the Championship Season all-time list with the 14th home run of her career in the third inning, which gave Team Alexander a 4-0 lead … It also marked her 21st career Athletes Unlimited home run between AUX and Championship Season play, which are the most by any player.
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Harshman has hit safely in nine of her last 11 games after her double in the fourth inning.
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Catcher Mia Davidson has reached base safely in all 14 games this season after drawing a walk in the fifth inning.
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Vidales has hit safely in six of her last seven games after posting a single in the top of the seventh inning.
GAME MVPS
- #1 – Taylor McQuillin (Team Alexander, +60)
- #2 – Aliyah Andrews (Team Alexander, +40)
- #3 – Dejah Mulipola (Team Alexander, +20)
