Recap: Garcia, Wiggins propel Team Garcia to 6-3 victory
ROSEMONT, Ill. — Team Garcia used a strong effort in the circle from its captain Rachel Garcia and a three-run triple from outfielder Megan Wiggins to secure a 6-3 victory over Team Warren in the first game of Saturday’s Athletes Unlimited AUX Softball doubleheader at Parkway Bank Sports Complex.
Wiggins, who earned MVP 1 recognition for her efforts, cleared the bases with a two-out triple down the right field line in the fourth inning and finished with 180 leaderboard points.
Garcia upped her record to 4-1 on the season after scattering two runs on two hits over 5.0 innings with four strikeouts. She held her spot at the top of the league leaderboard after accruing 188 points, including 58 stat points.
Catcher Sashel Palacios completed the MVP trifecta for Team Garcia after driving in two runs with a double in the sixth inning to extend the advantage to 6-2. Palacios finished with 130 leaderboard points, matching a season high.
Middle infielder Andrea Filler and designated player Courtney Gano each notched two hits in the loss for Team Warren. Rookie pitcher Megan Faraimo dipped to 2-1 after allowing five earned runs on seven hits over 5.0 innings with six strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After giving up a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning, Team Garcia answered with four runs in the top of the fourth to secure a 4-2 lead it did not relinquish. Wiggins got the outburst started with a three-run triple down the right field line before scoring on a single by middle infielder Sis Bates. Team Garcia added two runs in the sixth inning on a Palacios double before Team Warren closed the gap to 6-3 in the bottom of the frame with a solo home run by Gano.
LEADERBOARD IMPACT
The win allowed Garcia to extend her lead in the league standings to 292 points pending the results of Saturday’s second game between Team Leach and Team Warren. Corner infielder Jessi Warren moved into a tie for second with middle infielder Aubrey Leach while Wiggins rose seven spots after her MVP 1 performance.
GAME NOTES
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Team Garcia and Team Warren combined to score nine runs in Saturday’s opener, elevating the league’s season total to 154 runs through 13 games … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every run scored this season as part of its ‘Round the Bases’ initiative.
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The designated visiting team has now won 11-of-13 games this season after Team Garcia’s comeback victory to begin Saturday’s twinbill.
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Garcia, who has won her last three decisions in the circle, has thrown at least 5.0 innings in each of her last four appearances with 17 strikeouts during that span.
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Bates authored her third multi-hit game of the season after going 2-for-3 with a run batted in.
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Corner infielder Sam Fischer owns four multi-hit outings following her two-hit performance against Team Warren on Saturday.
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Wiggins matched a season high with her three runs batted in, equaling the performance against Team Garcia in the season opener on June 12.
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Filler has five hits in her last three games after her two-hit effort on Saturday … She also added a season-high two walks in the loss.
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Gano blasted her first AUX home run since ending last season with a grand slam in the 10th inning to give Team Fischer a 10-6 victory over Team Zerkle.
GAME MVPS
- #1 – Megan Wiggins (Team Garcia, +60)
- #2 – Rachel Garcia (Team Garcia, +40)
- #3 – Sashel Palacios (Team Garcia, +20)
