Sharlize Palacios homers, lifts Sashel Palacios up leaderboard
Sunday featured a lack of offense between the two games. But both MVPs came through when their team needed them. Sashel Palacios pick of her sister looks real good and Baylee Klingler reminded us of the star she can be.
Team Palacios 3, Team McQuillin 1
It’s one thing to bat right next to your sister in the lineup. It’s another thing to do it at the professional level. Watching your sister hit the go-ahead blast in the seventh inning from the on-deck circle is next level. After Haylie McCleney worked a seven-pitch walk, Sharlize Palacios stepped up the plate hoping to help her sister, Sashel, get closer to the top spot on the leaderboard.
She didn’t wait long. Palacios crushed a two-run homer off of Rachel Garcia that would lead Team Palacios to a 3-1 victory and put Sashel Palacios in second place on the leaderboard.
For most of the game, it had been a pitchers’ duel. Alyssa Denham earned the start for Team McQuillin and pitched well for 3.2 innings. The only run she allowed came via a double steal from the speed of Team Palacios in the first inning. Garcia was great in relief too. The only hit she allowed was the homer that changed the game.
Kayla Beaver started for Team Palacios. She went into the third before allowing back-to-back doubles to Morgan Zerkle and Bubba Nickles that tied the game. Megan Faraimo came in and earned 40 MVP points with her effort. The UCLA alum didn’t allow a run – though she got help with the go-ahead run thrown out at home in the third – in 3.2 innings. Valerie Cagle came in and tossed a clean seventh inning to pick up the save.
Team Kilfoyl 3, Team Lorenz 2
Remember how Baylee Klingler always came through in big-time moments for Washington? That happened again on Sunday. Klingler drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the eighth against Mariah Mazon for a critical win for Lexi Kilfoyl and her team. Klingler ended up scoring on a throwing error, which ended up the difference in the 3-2 win.
Klingler drove in the first run of the day with an infield single that brought in Skylar Wallace for an unearned run. But similar to the first game, the pitchers are who shined. Sarah Willis deserved credit too. Team Lorenz pulled with one in the eighth on a Delanie Wisz RBI single and she advanced to third with no outs. Willis recovered and retired the next three batters to secure the win.
Payton Gottshall earned 40 MVP points in her start. She threw 3.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts and scattering four hits to pick up 54 leaderboard points.
AU Softball Leaderboard
1. Amanda Lorenz – 960 points
2. Sashel Palacios – 946 pts
3. Lexi Kilfoyl – 902 pts
4. Tori Vidales – 850 pts
5. Skylar Wallace – 840 pts
Monday Schedule
Team McQuillin vs. Team Kilfoyl | 4 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Team Lorenz vs. Team Palacios | 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU
