Chicago (13-7) has won nine straight, setting a new Athletes Unlimited Softball League record for most consecutive wins. Their latest came from a masterclass by pitcher Kat Sandercock, who dominated the Portland Cascade (11-9) lineup for a 2-0 victory.
Sandercock’s shutout included six strikeouts, only two walks, and three hits. She threw strikes for 70.4% of her 115 total pitches. Bandits Head Coach Shonda Stanton started the postgame press conference praising Sandercock and her ability to remain composed.
“Any time today where things got tough – pressure’s fearless, and boy, was she fearless today,” Stanton said. “That bases-loaded inning jam is a game-changer for the season. That was epic proportions, so proud of the way [she] competed.
The offense scratched the two runs across on just three total hits. Ailana Agbayani and Morgan Zerkle authored the pair of RBIs.
“I think just how unwavering our team is supporting each other, like, Kat [Sandercock] today was awesome, and we were not giving her much, and she had our backs,” Zerkle said. “She was pointing at us. It’s not just us pointing at her, but she was turned around, so locked in. It helps us feel confident too…. And our group’s just really been playing together well like that.”
It was pitching that powered them to their record win, but the offense has been the story of the season. Chicago leads the AUSL in hits, runs scored, doubles, and triples. Their team averages also pace the league with a team BA of .318, .412 on-base percentage, and .533 slugging percentage.
With the win, the Bandits seal their fourth consecutive series victory in a row. They’ll look to sweep Game 3 against the Cascade on Sunday at 10.m. PDT and will air on ESPN2.
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter for the AUSL. You can follow her on Instagram @savvyco.
