Recap: Wiggins, Filler lift Team Zerkle over Team Garcia

Led by three hits from middle infielder Andrea Filler and two hits from outfielder Megan Wiggins, Team Zerkle held off Team Garcia in a marathon contest for a 9-7 victory to close Monday night’s doubleheader at Parkway Bank Sports Complex.

The win gave Team Zerkle a 1-0 record while handing Team Garcia its second loss in as many games to begin the week.

Filler, who earned MVP 2 honors for her efforts, went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in. The former Northwestern standout closed the season’s opening night with 180 points after notching a home run and two singles.

Wiggins, meanwhile, claimed her first MVP 1 accolade of the campaign with her 2-for-3 performance, including a double and a walk, while driving in three runs and scoring twice to finish with 178 points.

Pitcher Carrie Eberle (1-0) earned the victory in the circle after giving up one run on three hits over 3.2 innings with three strikeouts.

Team Garcia, which was swept in the season’s first doubleheader, was paced by corner infielder Lilli Piper’s three hits while outfielder Haylie McCleney and catcher Taylor Edwards each drove in two runs. Edwards was named the game’s MVP 3 recipient after blasting a two-run home run as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Rookie Brooke Yanez suffered the loss in the circle after throwing 2.2 innings in relief and giving up three runs on four hits. The former UCLA product authored six strikeouts in her second appearance of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Zerkle overcame a 6-5 deficit by plating four runs over the fifth and sixth innings to take a 9-6 advantage it did not concede. Filler blasted a solo home run with one out in the fifth inning to even the score at 6-6 before the squad added three runs in the following frame, including a two-run double from Wiggins. Team Garcia trimmed the margin to 9-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning, but was unable to get any closer.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Filler’s 180 points vaulted her into third place on the leaderboard after the opening day of the season. Wiggins, meanwhile, finished the night just two points behind Filler in fourth place.

GAME NOTES

• Monday’s nightcap featured the first captain’s challenges of the season … Team Garcia challenged an out call at first base in the fourth inning, which was unsuccessful … In addition, Team Zerkle challenged an out call at home plate in the sixth inning, which was also unsuccessful.

• Catcher Taylor Edwards blasted the first pinch-hit home run in AUX Softball history with her two-run shot in the bottom of the fourth inning … Across all Athletes Unlimited Softball contests, Edwards joins Jordan Roberts, Nicole Pendley and Lilli Piper as the only players to hit a pinch-hit home run … Roberts has accounted for three of the six pinch hit homers in Athletes Unlimited Softball history.

• The teams combined to hit 21-for-63 (.333), including a 6-for-20 effort with two outs … In addition, the teams registered 11 hits with runners on base.

• Both teams were successful in advancing runners … Team Zerkle was 15-for-23 in advancement opportunities, while Team Garcia posted a 13-of-20 success rate.

• Six of Team Zerkle’s nine runs came with two outs.

• Corner infielder Jessi Warren made her return to Athletes Unlimited action in Monday’s nightcap … Warren, who played in the first two Championship Seasons, was 0-for-2 in her return with a run scored and was hit by a pitch.

• Team Zerkle’s bottom four hitters in the lineup accounted for eight of the team’s 12 hits while driving in seven of the squad’s nine runs.

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Megan Wiggins (Team Zerkle, +60)
• #2 – Andrea Filler (Team Zerkle, +40)
• #3 – Taylor Edwards (Team Garcia, +20)