Recap: Rachel Garcia extends lead as team sweeps win points

Eric Rhew

Jun 25, 2023

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Being the designated home team has not been advantageous during the first 14 games of the 2023 Athletes Unlimited AUX Softball season.

Team Garcia made sure to take advantage of the opportunity, erupting for a league-record 15 runs on 18 hits en route to a convincing 15-4 victory over Team Leach to begin Sunday’s doubleheader at Parkway Bank Sports Complex.

The victory allowed Team Garcia’s Series Three record to rise to 2-0, while Team Leach (1-1) suffered its first loss of the set.

Outfielder Haylie McCleney led the record-setting outburst by going 4-for-5 with a double and three singles while driving in three runs. McCleney, who also scored three times, secured MVP 1 honors and finished with a season-high 230 leaderboard points, lifting her 12 spots in the league standings.

Pitcher Odicci Alexander turned in a winning performance in the circle to secure MVP 2 distinction. The former James Madison star allowed four runs on six hits over 5.2 innings to earn her first victory of the year and 188 leaderboard points.

Middle infielder Anissa Urtez finished the MVP triumvirate by going 2-for-2 with three RBI, two runs scored and a pair of walks. She contributed a double and a home run to finish with 226 leaderboard points.

Outfielder Amanda Lorenz and corner infielder Sydney McKinney each posted two hits in the setback for Team Leach, which opened the series with an 11-4 triumph over Team Warren on Saturday.

Pitcher Georgina Corrick dropped to 1-2 after allowing five earned runs on eight hits over 4.0 innings with two strikeouts.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Garcia exploded for an AUX single-inning record eight runs on seven hits in the bottom of the fifth inning to turn a 4-2 deficit into a commanding 10-4 lead. The squad tacked on five more runs in the sixth frame to a 15-4 advantage it did not concede.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Rachel Garcia, playing the first of two games on Sunday, upped her leaderboard advantage over middle infielder Aubrey Leach to 232 points following the historic victory. Urtez, meanwhile, elevated her position five spots and stands fourth heading into the twinbill finale.

GAME NOTES

Team Leach and Team Garcia combined to score 19 runs in Sunday afternoon’s opener, pushing the league’s season total to 188 runs through 15 games … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every run scored as part of its ‘Round the Bases’ initiative.
Team Garcia challenged an out call against McCleney in the bottom of the first inning, which was unsuccessful … In addition, Team Garcia challenged an out call against corner infielder Sam Fischer in the third inning, which was successful … Teams are now 2-for-15 (.133) in captain’s challenges this season.
Team Garcia became the third designated home team to win a game this season.
Team Garcia became the third squad this season to post seven or more runs in a single frame … Team Zerkle scored seven times in the first inning against Team Mulipola on June 14, while Team Taylor had a seven-run outburst in the seventh inning against Team Filler on June 19.
Team Garcia also matched the AUX single-game record with its 18 hits on Sunday … It is the third time this season a team has tallied 18 hits in a contest.
Catcher Mia Davidson took over the league home run lead with her fifth blast of the season, a two-run shot in the third inning … She has three home runs in her last five games.
Designated player Danielle Gibson saw her nine-game hitting streak come to an end after going 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout … She entered the day as one of two players in the league to hit safely in all of their games this season.
McCleney and Fischer matched the AUX single-game record with their four-hit performances … They are the fourth and fifth times in AUX history a player has recorded four hits, including the second and third this season.
Team Leach left a season-high 12 runners on base in Sunday’s opener, while Team Garcia also stranded nine runners in the victory.