Parkway Bank Sports Complex was the site of a true pitchers’ duel Sunday night as Team Klingler held onto a 1-0 lead to cap Series Three of the 2026 AUSL All-Star Cup with a victory over Team Palacios.
Despite a complete-game effort by Kenzie Brown in the circle, Team Palacios couldn’t gain any offensive traction and was kept scoreless by Amber Fiser and Lexi Kilfoyl. The pair of Chicago Bandits pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout, allowing just one walk while striking out five across seven innings.
The lone run of the contest came in the top of the first inning. Sydney Romero reached on a fielding error in right field and advanced to third on the play before Baylee Klingler brought her home with a sacrifice fly. The unearned run proved to be all Team Klingler needed to capture the victory.
Fiser worked the first three innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three. Kilfoyl entered in the fourth and allowed just one hit across four scoreless frames before striking out two to earn the win.
Team Palacios put its best scoring opportunity together in the second inning. Bubba Nickles-Camarena drew a walk before Sydney McKinney singled to put two runners one base with just one out, but Fiser responded with back-to-back strikeouts to escape the inning unscathed.
Palacios’ squad threatened again in the sixth when Amari Harper was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Aubrey Leach. Harper advanced to third on a flyout from Sharlize Palacios, but Kilfoyl retired Nickles-Camarena to preserve the shutout.
Brown kept Team Palacios within striking distance throughout the night, allowing just two hits and the lone unearned run across seven innings. She walked four and struck out three on 100 pitches in her MVP 3 worthy performance.
Kilfoyl earned MVP 1 honors with 238 leaderboard points, while Fiser collected MVP 2 with 206 points. Reese Atwood was named Defensive MVP.
With the win, Klingler improved to 4-0 in her career as an All-Star Cup captain. She also maintained the top spot on the individual leaderboard with 890 points heading into the fourth and final series, followed by Kilfoyl with 866. Hannah Flippen will join the pair as a captain for Series Four.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
