The hunt for first place in the standings and a guaranteed spot in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) Championship went to the final day of the regular season, with the Bandits coming up one game short of the pinnacle.
A win over Utah could have powered Chicago to the best record, but the 3-1 loss on Sunday night evened things to 16-9 for both teams. The Talons own the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of their three-game sweep of the Bandits earlier this season and thus clinched the coveted No. 1 seed.
The season isn’t over, and there’s much left for the Bandits to play for – they’ll compete in the play-in game versus the No. 3 seed on Thursday, July 23. A win in the expanded postseason format grants them a chance to compete for an AUSL title for the second season in a row.
Talons pitcher Georgina Corrick held what has been the most productive offense in the league to just two hits, and the one run they pushed across was unearned.
“I felt we were a little bit indecisive today, offensively, and so that’s where we’ll be better,” Head Coach Shonda Stanton said postgame.
Skylar Wallace started the game with a walk in the top of the first inning and utilized a foul ball from Mac Barbara that was caught in the air to advance to second. Morgan Zerkle reached on a fielding error by the Utah shortstop Hannah Flippen, which shifted Wallace over to third. Zerkle then got a jump at first base to draw a throw from the catcher, and a bobble on the play allowed Wallace to steal home.
Defensive miscues allowed the Talons to tack on insurance runs throughout the game. Stanton emphasized that when the team isn’t posting a lot of hits on the board, they’ve got to be cleaner defensively – especially when the margin of error is so small between the two best teams in the league. She was also looking forward to the opportunity they have to keep their season alive.
“All this means is we get to play more softball,” she said. “At this time of year, it’s all about ourselves. Can we take care of ourselves, stay true to our identity, and do the things that we do well? And that’s put up numbers offensively, light up the scoreboard, be free and loose at the plate.”
Who the Bandits will face in the play-in game has yet to be determined. A win for the Oklahoma City Spark on Monday would push them into the postseason, but a loss would grant the spot to the Portland Cascade.
The play-in game is set for July 23 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter for the AUSL. You can follow her on Instagram @savvyco.
