Homers highlight first day of 2024 AUX season

AUX kicked off on Monday and Softball America has you covered all season long.

Team Wiggins vs. Team Leach 

Team Wiggins brought the big bats for the AUX season opener. Between Taylor Edwards’ grand slam and Bubba Nickles’ three-run shot, the ‘Orange’ team powered to a 9-5 win over Team Leach.

In a six-run second inning, Edwards blasted the grand slam that Team Wiggins rode to victory. Odicci Alexander struggled with her command, leading to three walks in the frame. She also left one over the plate on the first-pitch blast.

first home run of the season and it’s a GRANDSLAM 💥 @TayEdwards212 breaks this game wide open with one swing of the bat! #AUProSB I 📺 ESPNNews pic.twitter.com/dy2mMC7TIA

— AU Pro Softball (@auprosoftball) June 10, 2024

Sarah Willis’ pro debut was also greeted with a home run. Willis replaced Alexander in the circle in the fourth and immediately allowed the blast to Nickles.

Kayla Kowalik had a solid Athletes Unlimited debut. She went down and lined a two-run double to start Team Wiggins’ big second inning on an outside pitch. Kowalik showed her speed on a swinging bunt for a single and came around to score on the Nickles homer.

Jordan Roberts was the star for Team Leach offensively. She started the scoring in the second with a two-run ground-rule double against Taylor McQuillan.

After a pair of defensive miscues from Team Wiggins extended the fifth inning, Roberts made them pay. She drove in two more in part of her four-RBI day with a single up the middle. Willis doubled in another run to pull within four but that was all the offense for the day.

McKenzie Clark and Erin Coffel didn’t take long to make highlight reel plays in their professional debuts. Clark laid out in center field for what would be a double play. Coffel tracked down an over-the-shoulder catch for a double play too.

WOW WOW WOW 🤩

diving catch by @mac_clark_7 leading to a double play#AUProSB I 📺 ESPNNews pic.twitter.com/QMgee8Mvz4

— AU Pro Softball (@auprosoftball) June 10, 2024

Edwards finished with 210 points after the MVP voting. Nickles, who finished the day 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch, had 208 points. Kowalik has 160 points heading into Tuesday.

Team Warren vs. Team Leach 

Team Leach struggled to figure out Alyssa Denham for four innings. But hitting is contagious. Erin Coffel launched a moonshot over the scoreboard to tie the game. Then the home run queen Jocelyn Alo followed two at-bats with her own monster blast as Team Leach beat Team Warren 2-1.

The Homerun Queen got her first of the AUX season 👑#AUProSB I 📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/yOySHHIW9j

— AU Pro Softball (@auprosoftball) June 11, 2024

While the homers might of stole the show, the rookie arms deserve a lot of credit. Montana Fouts made her professional debut. It took an inning for the former Alabama All-American to settle in. She allowed a run in the first inning on a sacrifice fly after a walk and a pair of singles, but she wasn’t hit very hard.

Fouts went four innings with four strikeouts and only allowed one hit the rest of the way before she gave way to Payton Gottshall. The recent Tennessee draftee tossed three scoreless innings, yielding one hit. She also had a nasty strikeout to catch Kelsey Stewart-Hunter looking on the inner half.

Aside from Coffel and Alo’s blasts and the premature firework show in the seventh inning. This one was about the pitchers. Maddie Penta also got an inning of work in coming out of Auburn.

Alo earned the MVP honors, bringing her to 230 points. Coffel sits at 220 and Gottshall is at 188.

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