Mauga Impresses in Third Week of Athletes Unlimited

CHICAGO – On Sunday afternoon, Katiyana Mauga's bat exploded. Mississippi State softball's volunteer assistant coach hit a pair of home runs before adding an RBI single for 90 stat points and received an additional 60 points when she was voted MVP.

Mauga's 210 points were a single-game scoring high for the first baseman. She totaled 410 points for the week, which was second among hitters and fourth overall in Week 3. The former Arizona standout now ranks sixth in the league for the season with 1,080 points.

Nicole Pendley smacked her first hit of the season on Saturday, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and scoring a run. Saturday's game marked the first time she had landed on a winning team. The following day, she added a third hit and again found herself on the winning squad.

The pair went head-to-head in Monday night's showcase on CBS Sports Network. While neither player picked up a hit, it was a special night for Pendley. Monday marked the first time she had competed against her sister, Shelby, in organized competition. The pair played together at Oklahoma and for the NPF's USSSA Pride.

Pendley came up with a diving, highlight-reel catch in left field to rob her sister of a leadoff single in the second inning. But the older sister got the last laugh with a two-run homer to give Mauga and Team Osterman a 2-1 victory.

Athletes Unlimited does not feature traditional teams. Instead, 56 athletes – 17 of whom played in the SEC –are drafted to one of four new teams each week. Following the final game of each week, the top four scoring athletes are named captains for the next week's draft.

Cat Osterman, Janie Reed, Victoria Hayward and Jessica Warren will serve as captains for Week 3 and draft a new set of teams on Tuesday night at 5 p.m. CT. The second week of games will be broadcast on ESPN2, ESPN3 and CBS Sports Network.

For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."

Katiyana Mauga's Game-by-Game Stats

W, 6-4 vs. Team Reed (Blue) – 0-for-3, K, 6 PO, 80 total points
W, 12-9 vs. Team Sanders (Purple) – 3-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI, K, 2 PO, 210 total points
W, 2-1 vs. Team Piancastelli (Orange) – 0-for-3, 6 PO, 120 total points

WEEKLY TOTAL – 3 GP, 3 GS, 3-for-10 (.300), 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 K, .300 OBP, .900 SLG, 14 PO, 21.0 INN, 410 total points

SEASON TOTAL – 9 GP, 8 GS, 8-for-27 (.296), 3 R, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, .367 OBP, .630 SLG, 51 PO, 1 E, 55.0 INN, 1080 total points (No. 8)

Nicole Pendley's Game-by-Game Stats

W, 7-4 vs. Team Sanders (Purple) – 2-for-3, 1 R, 3 PO, 120 total points
W, 8-7 vs. Team Reed (Blue) – 1-for-3, 1 PO, 80 total points
L, 1-2 vs. Team Osterman (Yellow) – 0-for-2, 1 PO, 0 total points

WEEKLY TOTAL – 3 GP, 3 GS, 3-for-8 (.375), 1 R, 5 PO, 21.0 INN, 200 total points

SEASON TOTAL – 8 GP, 7 GS, 3-for-21 (.143), 1 R, 4 K, 2 SAC, .143 OBP, .143 SLG, 12 PO, 1 E, 53.0 INN, 320 total points (No. 53)

Mississippi State University Athletics

Mauga Impresses in Third Week of Athletes Unlimited

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