Recap: Team Romero secures 10-3 victory over Team Faraimo

Eric Rhew

Aug 05, 2023

ROSEMONT, Ill. — After waiting until the final inning to secure a victory on Friday night, Team Romero made sure they took a quick lead and never looked back as the squad erupted for a league season-high 10 runs en route to a 10-3 victory over Team Faraimo in Athletes Unlimited Softball Championship Season action at Parkway Bank Sports Complex.

The win allowed Team Romero to improve to 2-0 in Week Two, while Team Faraimo saw its record drop to 1-1.

Pitcher Aleshia Ocasio garnered MVP 1 recognition after scattering five hits in 5.0 innings with two strikeouts. Ocasio, who stands 1-1 in the circle this season, tallied a season-high 230 leaderboard points.

Catcher Mia Davidson followed with a MVP 2 nod after going 2-for-4 with a single, a home run and a walk. Davidson, who also drove in two runs, secured 208 leaderboard points for the first 200-point game of her Championship Season career.

Outfielder Bubba Nickles rounded out the MVP trifecta for Team Romero after hitting a home run while scoring a pair of runs. The former UCLA standout finished with 178 leaderboard points.

Team Faraimo was led by a three-hit effort from Erika Piancastelli, who also drove in all three runs with a double in the sixth inning and a single in the final frame.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Romero surged to an 8-0 lead in the first five innings, including a pair of three-run frames. Davidson drove in two of the runs during the outburst with a single in the bottom of the first inning before adding her second home run of the season with a solo shot to start the third inning. Team Faraimo ended the shutout bid with an RBI double by Erika Piancastelli in the sixth frame.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Davidson’s career-high output lifted her six spots on the leaderboard and into second place with 642 points, while middle infielder Sierra Romero retains the overall lead with 676 leaderboard points. Ocasio, meanwhile, elevated her spot in the league standings by 22 positions and now holds ninth place with 516 points.

GAME NOTES

Team Faraimo and Team Romero combined to score 13 runs during Saturday’s first game, elevating the league’s season total to 59 runs through nine games … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every run scored as part of its ‘Round the Bases’ initiative.
Team Romero challenged an out call on a play at home plate in the bottom of the fifth inning, which was unsuccessful.
Teams are now 4-0 this season when scoring four or more runs in a game.
Ocasio recorded the ninth 200-point game of her Championship Season career, which ranks second in league history behind pitcher Cat Osterman … Osterman notched 10 games with 200 or more points in her two seasons (2020-21).
Davidson is the 49th player in Championship Season history to accrue 200 or more points in a single game.
Vidales has now recorded a hit in 38 career Championship Season games, which are the most by any player in league history … She also tallied a mutli-hit contest for the 13th time in her career.
Ocasio has thrown 5.0 or more innings in 15 career outings, which rank second in league history behind Osterman’s 16 efforts.
Piancastelli fashioned her third career three-hit game, while Romero authored her second career three-hit performance.