The Bandits and Talons packed about as much as you could pack into a two-game series this week in softball-mad Wichita.
For the Bandits, there was a near victory followed by heartbreak, followed by an exhilarating comeback victory fueled by a sixth-inning grand slam by Erin Coffel.
The Talons took Game 1 of this rain-delayed series 5-4, stunning the Bandits with a four-run seventh, ending with a walk-off homer by Sharlize Palacios.
The first-place Bandits (6-2) staged their own comeback on Thursday, coming from behind for an 8-4 victory.
Given that the Bandits took two of three from the Talons in Rosemont during the historic opening weekend of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, we just may have a little rivalry brewing between these two top teams.
“We keep going back and forth,” marveled Talons head coach Howard Dobson, whose team is 5-3. “It could be a really good rivalry. The Bandits are a really solid squad. They pitch it well. They swing it well. But you could say that across the whole league.”
Bandits boss Stacey Nuveman Deniz agrees.
“We haven’t played the Blaze yet,” Nuveman Deniz said. “I feel like there’s a rivalry against everybody. I feel that way when we played the Volts. There was definitely a little edge to the game, which I’m here for. I love that. I think that’s good for the game. That’s good for the league. I think that keeps players (with) the intensity level where it needs to be.”
Here is a look back and a look ahead for the Bandits.
Heartbreak in the seventh
The Bandits used a familiar formula Wednesday to take a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh and looked poised to win their fifth straight game when disaster struck.
Lexi Kilfoyl gave the Bandits a strong start in the circle, working five innings of one-run ball while walking none and striking out three.
She turned the ball over to Odicci Alexander in the bottom of the sixth after the Bandits scored three in the top half on a three-run homer by Coffel. Alexander worked an easy 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth but yielded a pair of two-run homers in the seventh, one to Ally Shipman-Shrout and a walk-off two-out blast to Palacios.
Instead of taking a two-game lead over the Talons at the top of the standings, the Bandits fell into a first-place tie.
“It’s really a psychological lift, really kind of a revenge lift for us because of how we played against them the last game,” said Talons coach Howard Dobson. “That last game (an 8-0 run-rule loss on June 10) got away from us early. It was a really good step back for us for, I wouldn’t say revenge, but really prove who we are.”
Bella Dayton went 3-for-3 for the Bandits.
Coffel strikes again
The Talons rallied for four runs in the bottom of the second inning against Bandits starting pitcher Emiley Kennedy to take a 4-1 lead. Back-to-back homers by Shipman-Shrout and Jadelyn Allchin did the damage.
Morgan Zerkle began the Bandits’ comeback with a solo homer in the third. It was her third of the season. Zerkle singled home two in the fourth to tie it. Coffel’s grand slam in the sixth against Megan Faraimo gave the Bandits their 8-4 margin, and this time, they shut the door.
“I just think it tells what the game is,” Coffel said of the Bandits’ bounce-back. “It can change at any moment. We got a little taste of that in our mouths yesterday, and it kind of lit a fire under our belts. We just tried to chip away each at-bat. So I think we did a really good job of staying in the game each at-bat and giving the pitchers the best of what we had.”
Coffel had five RBIs, including a first-inning double. In Wednesday’s loss, she drove in three.
“Not really doing too much different,” she said. “I shortened my stride up a little bit and putting more balls in play. I just think the pitchers here supply a lot of power, so you really don’t have to do much. Yeah, just change a little bit, and things are starting to work my way.”
Nuveman Deniz said she had one message for the Bandits after Wednesday’s heartbreak.
“I think the main message after yesterday was, ‘Hey, we’ve got to respond,” she said. “We got punched in the mouth. It’s a tough way to go down. ‘CC’ (Alexander) was feeling pretty bad about the way it ended. Hey, we just got to come back. It’s not the last time we’re going to get punched in the mouth, right? We’ve punched other teams and seen them respond. It’s just part of this game and this league. Four teams. The talent, the talent of everyone’s lineup top to bottom, it’s how it goes.”
Not taking ‘em lightly
The Bandits will get their first look at the Blaze during a four-game series beginning Friday in Wichita.
It’s no secret the Blaze (1-7) didn’t get off to the start they wanted, but their team is filled with veterans, including Aubrey Leach, Anissa Urtez, Baylee Klingler, Taylor Edwards and Aleshia Ocasio.
“If I’m being honest, the quote that always comes to mind is, ‘There’s nothing more dangerous than a wounded tiger,’” Nuveman Deniz said. “They’ve got talent. They can hit the ball. They’ve got great pitching. I know they’re depleted a little bit injury-wise in the circle. It scares me when you play a team that’s had a rough patch because they’re a little bit ticked off. But I feel confident in our ability to show up and play intense and intentional softball.”
Bandits bits:
- Skylar Wallace has scored at least a run in all eight games and has 10 for the season to go along with a seven-game hitting streak
- Pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl came on in relief Thursday and got the win, making her the first AUSL pitcher with three wins
- The Bandits scored six or more runs for the fifth time this season. They are 5-0 in those games
- The Bandits have put up at least 10 hits in five consecutive games.
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
