Here are a few words of caution for the rest of the teams in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League: The Chicago Bandits are a buzz saw right now.
The hot-hitting Bandits continued their heat wave Thursday night in an 11-3 victory over the Portland Cascade at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont. The game ended by run rule in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Over their past four games, all victories, the Bandits have scored 46 runs while allowing just 12. They piled up 13 hits against the Cascade, scoring in every inning.
Leadoff hitter Skylar Wallace, recently back from Japan, had four singles, scored three runs, and had an RBI.
No. 2 hitter Sami Williams displayed her mid-season MVP form once again. She hit her sixth home run of the season in the Bandits’ four-run third inning. Her sacrifice fly in the fifth ended the game. She upped her RBI total to 27.
Cleanup hitter Morgan Zerkle has begun to heat up. She got into the act with a triple in the first inning, a double in the second, and a single in the fourth. Zerkle drove in four as she extended her hitting streak to four games.
“What a great night,” said Bandits coach Shonda Stanton, whose team improved to 8-7. “Talk about dynamic, Skylar is like a supercharger, infusing this lineup with her tone and leadership. Her charisma just floods up and down the lineup. What can you say about Sami?”
There are few questions left to ask Williams, who is making her case for MVP with the Bandits’ season past its midpoint. So she was asked what it’s like to be a part of the most potent offense in the AUSL.
“Yeah, it’s awesome,” she said. “I think it puts all of us at ease mentally in the box because you don’t have to do anything crazy. You can just settle in and trust it and trust that if you don’t get that (hit), someone else will.”
It might be awfully hard for Williams not to take a peek at the individual stats leaderboard, given that her name is at the top in several categories.
“I try not to,” she said. “I’ve always tried not to let any of that bleed in because I don’t really want it to impact how I’m playing. I want to just keep playing my game and keep being calm and level-headed.”
Wallace was a table-setter in Thursday’s game as the leadoff hitter, but she hit six home runs last year in helping Chicago reach the Championship Series.
“Obviously, I have a lot of power, but I’m not trying to do that,” she said. “I’m trying to get on base and have an opportunity for Sami and whoever is behind her.”
Zerkle has moved from the leadoff spot to the middle of the order for the Bandits, and she also brings speed and power.
“She’s an impressive ballplayer,” Stanton said. “It’s been fun over the years to watch her do her thing. It was nice. We were able to mix some things up, move her in the lineup. I think that helped, too. Sometimes you start to press a little bit, based off what you came off last year. Just proud of her how she’s stayed the course and seeing the results.”
Bandits starting pitcher Kat Sandercock improved to 2-0 with five innings of four-hit ball. The Cascade went up 1-0 in the first inning, but the Bandits came right back with three in the bottom half against Kenzie Brown, who hit three batters and was victimized by a throwing error.
The Cascade still have reason for optimism. They have a winning record (8-6) with plenty of season left.
“One day at a time,” said head coach Tairia Flowers. “Don’t put added pressure on. There’s a lot of season, not a lot — it’s a combination of both. We’ve got to stay focused and regroup, not get too caught up in it, just understand it’s still a privilege to be out here and play our game and stay connected.”
Bruce Miles has covered sports in the Chicago area for 47 years, including baseball, hockey, football and Athletes Unlimited Softball League. 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.
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