Series 3 of the AUSL All-Star Cup began Friday night in Rosemont, Ill. Team Landry had a successful night at the plate and showed great power with four home runs. That, paired with captain Sam Landry’s strong outing in the circle, led Team Landry to a 6-3 win.
Landry opened with a continuation of her All-Star Cup artwork. Landry recorded two strikeouts in the opening frame and added two more in the second inning. Her movement and placement were on point.
Karlyn Pickens took the ball for Team Palacios and gave up back-to-back leadoff singles over the first two innings. She escaped the first inning without damage, but in the second inning, Sydney Stewart (MVP 1) crushed a 251-foot two-run home run to put Team Landry up 2-0. That was Stewart’s first hit of the All-Star Cup, and it gained 40 inning win points.
After Landry (MVP 2) retired the top of the third in order, Team Palacios began the bottom of the third with Keilani Ricketts in the circle. Megan Grant then blasted a 294-foot leadoff home run to extend Team Landry’s lead to 3-0. That moved Grant to the All-Star Cup home run lead with three.
Then, with one out, Sydney Sherrill launched her first homer of the All-Star Cup to deep center. It was a rough day for Team Palacios, and Alyssa Brito followed with another home run to make it 5-0. After a Stewart walk, Kenleigh Cahalan added a single through the right side, and Team Palacios went to Kenzie Brown. Stewart would score on a Bella Dayton RBI fielder’s choice to make it 6-0.
Team Palacios took one run back in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Bubba Nickles-Camarena launched a solo home run to deep center. That was the first hit Landry gave up in the game. Ana Gold added a single, but Landry retired the side after.
Brown (MVP 3) returned in the bottom of the fourth and kept Team Landry off the board to win the inning for Team Palacios. She rang up Jordan Woolery and Brito for two strikeouts in the inning. Brown worked her changeup well to keep hitters off balance in that frame.
In the top of the fifth, Landry made the move to Rachel Garcia in the circle. That was a predetermined plan, according to Landry on the broadcast. Team Palacios opened the frame with an Amari Harper double and Aubrey Leach single to put runners on the corners with one out.
Garcia couldn’t get the calls, and Sydney McKinney walked to load the bases. Then, Sami Williams recorded an RBI on a fielder’s choice to score Harper, making it 6-2 Team Landry. Team Palacios was in position to win back-to-back innings, and Brown retired the bottom half to do just that.
Garcia and Brown kept the sixth inning scoreless. Garcia recorded a strikeout in the top half, and Brown added two of her own in the bottom. Team Palacios gave one last effort in the top of the seventh. After Harper reached on a leadoff single, Leach brought her home with an RBI double to cut Landry’s lead to 6-3. Garcia responded with a strikeout and went on to close the game out for the save, leaving Leach on second.
Game 2 of the series will bring Team Landry vs. Team Klingler on Saturday night at 7 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. CDT on ESPNU. Below is the top five of the All-Star Cup leaderboard after Friday night. For complete All-Star Cup Leaderboard, click here.
Rank | Chg | Athlete | Pos | Total pts | Win points | Stat points | MVP points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | +2 | Landry, S. | RHP | 690 | 480 | 110 | 100 |
2 | +3 | Corrick, G. | RHP | 600 | 480 | 80 | 40 |
3 | -2 | Palacios, S. | C | 590 | 390 | 120 | 80 |
4 | +2 | Nickles-Camarena, B. | OF | 550 | 390 | 120 | 40 |
5 | -3 | Klingler, B. | IF | 520 | 430 | 30 | 60 |
