Recap: Garcia, Urtez deliver for Team Filler in 8-2 win

Eric Rhew

Jun 18, 2023

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Pitcher Rachel Garcia was one of the top performers in the circle during the opening series of the 2023 Athletes Unlimited AUX Softball season and she wanted to make sure that success continued into Sunday’s opener at Parkway Bank Sports Complex.

After her MVP 1 performance, it’s pretty safe to say the success has not stopped.

The former UCLA standout allowed two runs on five hits over a season-best 5.0 innings in the circle and also drove in two runs as Team Filler used a late outburst to claim an 8-2 victory over Team Taylor in the opening game of Series Two.

Garcia, who was named MVP 1 for the second time this season, upped her record to 2-1 on the campaign in the circle while reaching 200 or more leaderboard points for the second time this season.

Middle infielder Anissa Urtez followed with MVP 2 distinction after going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and a run batted in while outfielder Amanda Lorenz completed the MVP sweep with a three-run home run in the seventh inning to earn MVP 3 accolades.

Corner infielder Sydney McKinney and outfielder Delanie Wisz each registered two hits in the loss for Team Taylor, which was outhit by an 11-6 margin. Pitcher Georgina Corrick suffered the loss after allowing two runs, including one earned run, on five hits over 4.2 innings with five strikeouts.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After falling behind by a 1-0 count in the second inning, Team Filler plated four unanswered runs over a three-inning span to secure the comeback victory. The squad tied the game with an unearned run in the fourth inning before taking the lead with a double by Urtez in the fifth inning. A two-run double by Garcia upped the margin to 4-1 in the sixth inning.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Garcia’s 220 leaderboard points moved her back into the top spot of the leaderboard with 680 points, while corner infielder Jessi Warren stands in second place after collecting 150 points in the victory for Team Filler.

GAME NOTES

Team Filler and Team Taylor combined to score 10 runs in Sunday’s Series Two opener, increasing the league’s season total to 91 runs through seven games … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every run scored as part of its ‘Round the Bases’ initiative.
Teams are now 1-for-6 in captain’s challenges after each team had a challenge on Sunday … Team Taylor challenged an out call against McKinney with one out in the bottom of the third inning, which was upheld … In addition, Team Filler challenged an out call against middle infielder Andrea Filler with two outs in the bottom of the third inning.
The designated visiting team has now won 6-of-7 games this season … Team Zerkle claimed the only win by a home team on Thursday night with a 7-6 triumph over Team Garcia.
Rookie Brooke Yanez nailed down her first save as a professional after conceding just one hit over the final two innings for Team Filler … She also added one strikeout.
McKinney posted her third multi-hit game of the season while Wisz earned her first multi-hit game in Athletes Unlimited play.
Urtez became the eighth different player to author a three-hit outing through seven games this season … She has hit safely in 3-of-5 contests this season.
Garcia has now made an appearance in the circle in all five of her team’s games this season.