Harshman, Davidson shine in Athletes Unlimited season opener
The fifth season of the Athletes Unlimited Championship got underway on Friday in Rosemont. Team Denham and Team Romero took home victories as we saw veterans and rookies leading the way.
Team Denham 1, Team Svekis 0
Pitchers dominated the opening game of Season Five of Athletes Unlimited. However, it was Kelsey Harshman. Fresh off a Bronze Medal with Canada at the WBSC World Cup, Harshman finally broke the scoreless contest in the bottom of the sixth. Harshman crushed a pitch to the scoreboard that Megan Faraimo left over the heart of the plate.
That was all the offense in the game as Team Denham picked up the 1-0 win.
The captain handed herself the ball in the circle. Alyssa Denham came out firing as she does at Athletes Unlimited. Denham tossed four scoreless innings, allowing her defense to work behind her as she didn’t strike out a single batter.
Despite her success, Denham turned to her fellow Arizona alum Taylor McQuillin to start fifth. At first it was a curious decision, but it was a good move. McQuillin picked up where she left off from AUX. She struck out two batters in three innings including a perfect seventh to close out the win.
Denham deciding to throw her opponent a different look made the difference. Her and McQuillin have always paired well. On the flipside, Harshman hit the home run on her third look at Faraimo.
Morgan DeBord didn’t get extra style points for this grab in the sixth but it was a stellar catch to rob Amanda Lorenz.
Harshman (MVP 1), McQuillin (MVP 2), Denham (MVP) 3 as well as Sashel Palacios (Defensive) earned MVP honors.
Team Romero 5, Team Alexander 1
Claire Davidson carried her breakout ACC Player of the Year season to her professional career. The rookie had quite a debut. She roped a double to the wall off the reigning AU champion Odicci Alexander to tie the game in the second. Davidson cemented Team Romero’s lead with an opposite-field two-run homer against Alexander. Davidson earned the MVP 2 honors leading Team Romero to the opening-day win.
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Delanie Wisz, another player who finished toward the AUX leaderboard, drove in the go-ahead run for Team Romero back in the third on a 3-2 count after she saw seven pitches. Wisz’ two-out single was an unearned run after an error and a walk put the runner in scoring position.
2024 AUX champion Bubba Nickles’ bat stayed hot too. Nickles had Team Alexander’s RBI in the first inning. She hit her second single later in the game.
The rest of the lineup struggled with former Oklahoma State ace Lexi Kilfoyl. Similar to her success in Stillwater, extra-base hits were non-existent against her. She went the distance in her professional debut, striking out four batters and only yielding six hits. Kilfoyl earned the top MVP honors for her performance.
Athletes Unlimited Leaderboard
1. Lexi Kilfoyl – 244 points
2. Kelsey Harshman – 220 points
3. Claire Davidson – 210 points
4. Taylor McQuillin – 196 points
5. Alyssa Denham – 188 points
Saturday Schedule
Team Romero vs. Team Denham | 3 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Team Svekis vs. Team Alexander | 5:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+
