Five Takeaways From Athletes Unlimited Season 3 Week 2

The second week of season three of Athletes Unlimited softball action is officially complete. It was an exciting week, as offenses came to life, several home runs were hit and plenty of jaw-dropping plays were made.

As the season progresses, the leaderboard continues to change, and captains for the third week of play are set as the league prepares for another draft on Monday evening.

Home Run Party To Kick Off Week Two

After ending the first week of play with an offensive onslaught, the same trend unfolded in Week Two, as Team Mulipola and Team Jaquish combined to hit five home runs in game one of the week.

It was a very quick start, as Haylie McCleney hit a first inning solo shot, while Bubba Nickles also went yard in the inning with a two-run home run to give Team Jaquish the lead.

Amanda Chidester countered back in the third inning by also hitting a two-run home run for Team Mulipola to retake the lead, but that was short-lived, as Gwen Svekis tied the game at three by hitting a solo homer herself. Hannah Flippen hit the fifth home run of the night by sending a ball to dead center for Team Jaquish.

Team Jaquish Pulls Off Epic Comeback

The first game of Saturday’s doubleheader was a doozy. After Team Harshman took a commanding 8-1 lead in the sixth inning, Team Jaquish was able to plate eight runs in the final two innings to pick up its first victory of the weekend and secure a thrilling comeback.

Team Jaquish had multiple missed opportunities all afternoon, but was finally able to capitalize in the sixth inning when Svekis cleared the bases, bringing the score to 8-5. The rally continued in the seventh inning, as Team Jaquish once again loaded the bases and the captain, Sahvanna Jaquish, tied the contest at 8 by hitting a ball down the third base line, which set up the heroics of Bubba Nickles, who ended the game by hitting a ball up the middle.

Biggest Risers On The Leaderboard

After Friday and Saturday’s games, the leaderboard completely shifted. Multiple players had exceptional performances, but nobody had a better start to the weekend than Chidester and Danielle O’Toole.

Chidester kicked off the weekend with 200 points on Friday evening, thanks to her home run, double and three runs scored for Team Mulipola. Chidester went yard on Saturday afternoon to add to her point total. After two outings, she went from 33rd on the leaderboard to fifth. Meanwhile, O’Toole, another Team Mulipola member, was fantastic in the circle and had the best performance by any pitcher in the championship season. The star left-hander threw a complete game, allowing only two runs, while picking up seven strikeouts. O’Toole’s outing brought her from 45th to 20th on the leaderboard.

Offenses Catching Up To Pitchers

After pitchers kept hitters in check with plenty of strikeouts in the opening weekend, the tables were turned in Week Two. The strikeout numbers were down slightly from 65 to 55, but the runs scored soared drastically, as 73 runs crossed the plate compared to just 45 from a week ago. The offensive battle between Team Harshman and Team Mulipola alone saw both teams combine for 22 runs, as Erika Piancastelli had five RBIs, including the season's first grand slam in the slugfest.

Former Captains In Charge For Week Three

As the script flips to the halfway mark of the championship season, Week Three features four players who have already been captains during this season or in the past. Dejah Mulipola led the Blue Team to an undefeated weekend, as she currently sits at the top of the leaderboard with 826 points. She will oversee the Gold Team this week.

After being a captain last season, McCleney will lead the Orange Team this week, while Jaquish will repeat as captain, but this time, she will lead the Blue Team. Chidester returns to the captain’s spot as the leader of the Purple Team.

Odicci Alexander Stays True To Herself To Become AU Champion

Odicci Alexander was the champion of Athletes Unlimited's fourth softball season.