It was a memorable afternoon for catcher Reese Atwood, who recorded the first two hits of her professional career in spectacular fashion on Sunday as the Carolina Blaze rolled past the Texas Volts, 9-1, in a run-rule victory at Smith Family Stadium.
After entering the day hitless in her AUSL career, Atwood broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two-run home run to center field off Volts rookie pitcher NiJaree Canady. The blast capped a five-run frame that turned a 1-0 deficit into a 5-1 Blaze lead.
Atwood’s shining day at the plate wasn’t finished. Leading off the sixth inning, she launched another home run, this time to left field, for her second long ball of the day and second professional hit. The two-homer performance marked the eighth multi-home run game for a player in AUSL regular-season history.
Atwood finished 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI as the Blaze improved to 3-1 on the season. Carolina’s offense also received home runs from Dakota Kennedy, who also recorded her first pro homer on Sunday, and Alyssa Brito, while Karlyn Pickens tossed her second consecutive complete game in the victory.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.