The Talons won the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) Championship presented by Sephora after defeating the Bandits, 1-0, at Rhoads Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Talons claimed the title after winning the first two games of the best-of-three series, securing a 3-1 victory in the opener before Sunday afternoon’s 1-0 verdict.
Pitcher Montana Fouts, a standout performer for Alabama during her college career, fired a five-hit shutout and posted seven strikeouts to guide the Talons to the title, while infielder Sydney Romero provided the game’s lone run with a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning.
In a match-up of the AUSL’s top two offensive teams, it was pitching that dominated the two-game series. The Talons’ pitching staff, anchored by Fouts and AUSL Pitcher of the Year Georgina Corrick, limited the Bandits to one run and 13 hits in the series with 14 strikeouts. Corrick allowed one run on seven hits over 6.0 innings in a Game One win.
The Talons finished first in the regular season standings with an 18-6 record, including a league-high eight-game win streak from June 20-July 11.
“Congratulations to the Talons on an incredible championship run and to all the athletes who made this inaugural AUSL season so special,” said AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng. “From the very first pitch to the final out, the talent, passion, and competitive spirit on display exceeded every expectation. This season marks an important milestone not just for our league, but for the future of professional softball.”
AUSL action resumes in just a few days as fans of the Bandits, Blaze, Talons, and Volts will be able to watch their favorite professional softball stars face off in the AUSL All-Star Cup this August. Sixty elite players, with a combined 12 NCAA Championships and including 40 players with National Team experience and all AUSL Regular Season award winners, have been chosen to compete in a high-stakes showdown to crown the ultimate individual softball champion.
The intense, 21-game competition will run from August 2-31, with games in Rosemont, Ill., Raleigh, N.C., as well as AUSL Pro Games at the Little League Softball World Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods in Greenville, N.C. The AUSL All-Star Cup will utilize the innovative Athletes Unlimited format to determine an individual champion, with new teams drafted by the top four players on the leaderboard over the course of four series of games (click here for a full explanation of the format). All games will air live exclusively on ESPN platforms, while tickets remain available for all games.
