The Bandits hit their first bump in the road of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League season, but they kept from being swallowed up by a big sinkhole.
After the international break, the Bandits returned to Rosemont and dropped a game to the Volts on Monday and another to the Blaze on Tuesday to extend their season-high losing streak to three games.
They were two outs away from a 4-2 victory Wednesday when relief pitcher Odicci Alexander gave up a game-tying two-run homer to the Blaze’s Kalei Harding in the top of the seventh.
But the Bandits salvaged the day in the bottom of the eighth inning when Delanie Wisz dunked an RBI single into left field for a walk-off 5-4 victory.
The Bandits (10-5) met their first bit of adversity head-on. It’s something they knew they would have to do before the season was over.
“We talked a lot about it,” said Bandits Head Coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz. “Adversity and how you handle it is what separates the good and the great – players, teams, championships, all that. We talked about this (Tuesday) night after the game (a 12-10 loss to the Blaze). It’s good to go through that now because it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. We want to go through the hard times before we get to the critical, critical part of the season when it really is must-win. I like where we’re at. Hopefully, that was a momentum-turning moment for us.”
Here is how the Bandits lost their mojo and found it again.
Late rally falls short
The Bandits came back from the break and found themselves nearly no-hit in a 5-3 loss to the Volts.
Rachel Garcia, the Volts’ starting pitcher, did not allow a hit until Bubba Nickles-Camarena singled with one out in the sixth inning.
Trailing 5-0 in the seventh, the Bandits made it interesting with three runs. Coupled with a run-rule 11-3 loss to the Blaze to end the first half of the season, the Bandits dropped consecutive games for the first time all season.
“It’s always nice, even if you don’t pull it off, to get some momentum back, because we had zero momentum before that last inning,” Nuveman Deniz said. “I think they felt good about putting up a little bit of a fight at the end. Obviously not quite enough, but that’s the way the game goes.
“(Garcia) was dealing. We won’t take anything away from her. I don’t think we brought our best. I think we were a little passive. We were taking some pitches and swinging at junk. But for the most part, tip your cap to her. That’s Rachel Garcia. That’s vintage, signature stuff.”
Left-hander Emiley Kennedy started and pitched 3.1 innings for the Bandits, giving up four hits and four runs.
When it rains, it pours
Tuesday afternoon began with a steady rainfall. That portended the downpour of hits and runs that would follow.
The Bandits and Blaze combined for 22 runs and 32 hits in a 12-10 Blaze victory. It marked a season-high three-game losing streak for the Bandits, who fell to two games behind the first-place Talons.
The Blaze scored in each of the first four innings, and the Bandits put up runs in each of the first three frames.
Pitchers for both teams seemed to have trouble gripping the wet ball. Bandits starter Sarah Willis lasted 1.1 innings, giving up five hits and five runs.
On the bright side for the Bandits, Erin Coffel had a pair of triples in going 3-for-4 and raising her batting average to .517. Leadoff hitter Morgan Zerkle went 4-for-5 with three RBIs.
Too early for a ‘must-win’?
If ever the Bandits needed a victory, it was Wednesday, in a game that began at the brunch hour of 10:30 a.m. CT.
Starting pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl proved to be exactly what the doctor ordered, working six innings while giving up three hits and being charged with three runs.
The Bandits overcame deficits of 1-0 and 2-1. Bella Dayton hit a two-run double to the gap in left-center in the bottom of the fourth to put the Bandits up 3-2. MVP candidate Coffel made it 4-2 in the fifth with a booming solo home run to left field. It was Coffel’s fourth homer of the season.
Kilfoyl gave up a leadoff single to McKenzie Clark to start the top of the seventh. Nuveman Deniz went to Alexander, who retired Ali Newland on a flyout. Harding hit what could have been a heartbreaking home run, but in the end, the Bandits pulled it out.
Nuveman Deniz praised Kilfoyl for her start and Alexander for bouncing back after giving up the home run.
“They’re both going to be important pieces for us for the remainder of the season,” Nuveman Deniz said. “Adversity is part of the game, whether you’re a hitter or a pitcher, or a team. You give up a bomb to tie it up. You’re ‘Aw.’ But I love how she responded to that. Boom, she came right back with a strikeout. She got herself into a little bit of trouble in that next inning and got out of it again. She’s a pro. She’s been in those moments. She’s had success in those moments. She’s had struggles in those moments. And that just builds character. I love how she responded. And the offense came through.”
As far as it being a “must-win,” Nuveman Deniz put the 24-game schedule into perspective. The Bandits trail the first-place Talons by two games with a big three-game series coming up this weekend in Omaha.
“I kind of feel like they’re all must-wins, not just from the standpoint of the standings, but just getting some momentum,” she said. “We had a rough little patch there. At this point, we’ll take ’em any way we can get ’em.
“I’m happy we’re back in the win column, for sure. Our team’s energy was better today, and I was happy with that, as well.”
Bruce Miles has covered sports in the Chicago area for 46 years, including baseball, hockey, football and Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball. He covered the Chicago Cubs in their historic run to the World Series title in 2016. He has written stories for Athletes Unlimited since 2020.
Follow Bruce on Bluesky @brucemiles2112.bsky.social and on X @brucemiles2112
