Team Corrick may have been first on the board in Saturday’s 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League All-Star Cup opener, but it was a third-inning double off the bat of Sami Williams that sealed the deal for Team Garcia in Rosemont, Illinois.
After one and a half scoreless innings recorded by Team Garcia captain Rachel Garcia and Team Corrick’s Lexi Kilfoyl, Sharlize Palacios launched the first home run of the 2026 All-Star Cup season, taking Garcia deep over the left-center field wall to give Team Corrick a 1-0 advantage.
Team Garcia responded the very next frame. After Sydney Stewart reached on an error, Aubrey Leach and Skylar Wallace followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases. Stewart scored on a wild pitch before Williams cleared the bases with a double to left field, breaking the tie and giving Team Garcia a 3-1 lead.
The two-run double proved to be the difference as Team Garcia held Team Corrick scoreless the rest of the way to secure a 3-1 victory and open the All-Star Cup with a win.
Williams finished 1-for-2 with two RBI and earned MVP 1 honors for the first Game MVP award of her All-Star Cup career. She also finished the night with a career-high 190 leaderboard points.
Garcia’s Bullpen keeps Team Corrick off the board
Garcia gave Team Corrick several different looks in the circle, allowing just one hit across 2.1 innings. Garcia struck out two without issuing a walk over the first 2.1 innings, and the lone hit that she allowed was Palacios’ second-inning home run.
Sam Landry took over in the third and kept Team Corrick hitless over 1.1 innings, striking out three of the four batters she faced to earn the win. Rookie Karlyn Pickens handled the final 3.1 innings and allowed four hits while keeping Team Corrick off the scoreboard to earn the save.
Team Corrick threatened in the seventh inning when Sydney Sherrill led off with a single down the left-field line, but Pickens retired the next three batters, including a strikeout of Palacios, to close out Team Garcia’s first victory of the 2026 All-Star Cup.
Garcia, Landry and Pickens combined for seven strikeouts. Team Corrick finished with five hits but was 0-for-7 with runners on base.
Pickens joined Williams among the game’s top performers, earning MVP 2 honors and 40 additional leaderboard points. Palacios earned MVP 3 honors for Team Corrick, while Sydney Sherrill received Defensive MVP honors.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
