Baylee Klingler made Athletes Unlimited Softball League history on Saturday. Then she kept hitting.
The Blaze infielder turned in one of the most dominant individual weekends of the season, finishing the three-game set against the Talons with 11 RBIs and eight hits, including the league’s first-ever grand slam.
Klingler’s impact started in Saturday’s doubleheader, where she went 5-for-8 with seven RBIs in the first game. She became the first player in league history to record a four-hit game, going 4-for-5 in the opener.
On Sunday, she added to her already impressive series. Klingler went 3-for-3 at the plate, drove in four more runs, and drew a walk, reaching base in all four of her plate appearances. Her grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning came on the very first pitch she saw and gave the Blaze their first lead of the weekend. The ball sailed over the right field wall, clearing the bases and swinging the momentum in the Blaze’s direction.
The milestone blast made Klingler the first player in AUSL history to hit a grand slam. It also marked her second multi-hit performance of the weekend and her fourth of the season.
Over the three-game series, Klingler reached base in at least nine of her 12 plate appearances. She leads the Blaze in both hits and RBIs, and has quickly established herself as one of the toughest outs in the AUSL.
“I’ve been navigating life after college and stuff, but I feel like the same BK that was in college and doing her thing, which is a really cool groove to get back into,” Klingler said. “[It’s about] learning from every game, whether it’s good or bad, just learning and having a professional mindset.”
While the Talons secured the sweep behind a late three-run homer from Hannah Flippen, the weekend was a statement from Klingler. Her bat powered nearly half of the Blaze’s total run production in the series and etched her name into the record books along the way.
The Blaze return to action Tuesday night against the Volts in Wichita. With Klingler locked in at the plate, they’ll be looking to flip the momentum heading into Series 3.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
