Recap: Power and Strong Pitching Lift Team Ocasio to 5-1 Victory

Nickles and Wallace each surpassed 200 leaderboard points in the victory after driving in four of Team Ocasio’s five runs. Nickles secured MVP 1 accolades after her three-run blast in the third inning gave Team Ocasio a 3-0 lead. Wallace, the game’s MVP 2 choice, followed with a solo shot to right field in the fifth inning, upping the margin to 4-0.

Ocasio, meanwhile, scattered just four hits over her 4.0 innings of work to claim MVP 3 laurels in addition to upping her record to 5-1 in the circle. The former Florida standout also registered a strikeout to close the evening with 188 leaderboard points.

Megan Faraimo pitched the final three innings to nail down her first save of the season.

Outfielder Megan Wiggins paced Team Corrick offensively with a pair of hits, while three other players added a base hit. Captain Georgina Corrick suffered the loss in the circle after allowing four runs on five hits in 5.0 innings with five strikeouts.

KEY MOMENT

Nickles and Wallace’s home runs propelled Team Ocasio to a 4-0 lead. Rookie catcher Sharlize Palacios ended Team Ocasio’s shutout bid with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth inning before corner infielder Nadia Taylor answered with an RBI single in the top of the seventh inning.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Ocasio and Corrick traded spots on the leaderboard as a result of the Week Five opener result. Ocasio, the 2021 AU Pro Softball Championship Season titleist, now owns second place and stands just 48 points behind outfielder Amanda Lorenz. Wallace also rose back into the top four and holds third place with 1,410 points.

GAME NOTES

• Middle infielder Sis Bates was honored as the game’s Defensive MVP, marking her first defensive honor of the season … She is the sixth different player to receive the award through 25 games this summer.

• Teams are now 4-for-23 in captain’s challenges through 25 games this season … Team Ocasio initiated a captain’s challenge in the bottom of the fourth inning when outfielder Morgan Zerkle was hit by a pitch … The challenge was successful after the play was reversed and Zerkle did not receive credit for being hit by the pitch.

• Ocasio now owns a 10-9 all-time record as a captain in Championship Season play, becoming the fourth player in league history to register 10 or more wins as a team leader.

• Taylor becomes the seventh player in Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball history to appear in 100 games after making the start at first base … It was the 86th start of Taylor’s career.

• Middle infielder Aubrey Leach extended her hitting streak to 10 consecutive games with a triple down the right field line in the fifth inning … Leach has hit safely in 11-of-13 games this season, which is tied for the league lead with Bates.

• Wiggins authored her first multi-hit game of the season after recording a pair of singles … Wiggins has hit safely in four of her last five outings.

• Pitcher Georgina Corrick, who was making her debut as a team captain, had her eight-game personal win streak snapped with the loss on Friday night … It marked her first setback since August 2.

• Catcher Gwen Svekis has won her last four games with Team Ocasio’s victory on Friday night … The long-time AU veteran now owns a 49-25 all-time record in Championship Season play.

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Bubba Nickles (Team Ocasio, +60)
• #2 – Skylar Wallace (Team Ocasio, +40)
• #3 – Aleshia Ocasio (Team Ocasio, +20)
• Defensive MVP – Sis Bates (Team Corrick, +20)