Recap: Team Palacios Remains Undefeated After Edging Team Faraimo in Extra Innings

The win upped Team Palacios’ record to 2-0 in the penultimate week of the season, while Team Faraimo dipped to 0-2.

Zerkle, who garnered MVP 1 honors and 170 leaderboard points, singled to center field to lead off the eighth inning and bring home outfielder Megan Wiggins from second base. It was Zerkle’s second hit of the game as she also drove in a run with a triple in the second inning.

Corner infielder Tori Vidales secured MVP 2 recognition after going 1-for-2 with a RBI single and a walk, giving the former Texas A&M standout 140 leaderboard points.

Pitcher Taylor McQuillin moved her record to 5-3 after throwing two no-hit innings in relief with one strikeout.

The loss spoiled a solid performance from pitcher Megan Faraimo, who authored a complete game effort en route to MVP 3 accolades. Faraimo (3-4) gave up three runs, including two earned runs, on five hits over 7.0 innings with three strikeouts.

Outfielder Morgan DeBord paced Team Faraimo offensively with a pair of hits, including a double, while outfielder Haylie McCleney and designated player Rachel Garcia drove in the team’s two runs.

KEY MOMENT

After Team Faraimo forced extra innings by scoring an unearned run in the sixth inning, Zerkle answered with a single in the top of the eighth inning to bring Wiggins home and give Team Palacios the instant victory.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Sashel Palacios climbed back into the top spot of the leaderboard after accruing 100 leaderboard points in the victory, giving her 1,274 points through 11 games. Vidales, meanwhile, moved into third place while Faraimo vaulted 14 spots up the league standings into the No. 4 position.

GAME NOTES

• Team Faraimo and Team Palacios competed in the eighth extra-inning game in Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball Championship Season history, including the third instance this season.

• Palacios, who earned the game’s Defensive MVP award, has won seven consecutive games and owns a league-best 10-1 record … Palacios has also won all five of her games as a captain.

• Corner infielder Sam Fischer ran her personal winning streak to five games in a row after Team Palacios’ victory on Saturday … Fischer is also 7-1 in her last eight outings after starting the season with three consecutive losses.

• Middle infielder Aubrey Leach extended her hitting streak to eight games after opening the game with a single to left center field.

• Zerkle registered the third triple of her Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball career in the second inning.

• McCleney has reached base safely in all 11 games this season after registering a single in the top of the sixth inning … McCleney has also tallied a hit in four of her last five outings.

• McCleney also earned 70 leaderboard points in the loss for Team Faraimo on Saturday, making her just 70 points shy of becoming the first player in AU Pro Softball history to accumulate 10,000 career leaderboard points … She would become the 12th player in any AU sport to hit the milestone.

• DeBord, who recorded the first multi-hit game of her professional career, has hit safely in three of her last four appearances.

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Morgan Zerkle (Team Palacios, +60)
• #2 – Tori Vidales (Team Palacios, +40)
• #3 – Megan Faraimo (Team Faraimo, +20)
• Defensive MVP – Sashel Palacios (Team Palacios, +20)