Gold powers Blaze to 12-6 victory with 2 home runs, 5 RBIs

The Quick Story: Infielder Ana Gold hit two home runs and drove in five runs as the Blaze (7-16) earned their second win in a row, a 12-6 Athletes Unlimited Softball League victory over the Bandits (14-9) at Parkway Bank Sports Complex on Tuesday evening.

Key Moment: Trailing by a 3-2 margin, the Blaze erupted for six runs on four hits in the top of the second inning to take an 8-3 lead they did not relinquish. After a fielder’s choice by outfielder Aliyah Andrews evened the score at 3-all, the Blaze took a 6-3 lead on a RBI single by infielder Aubrey Leach and a two-run double by infielder Baylee Klingler. Gold completed the six-run outburst with her first home run of the evening, a two-run shot to left center field for an 8-3 advantage.‭

Blaze Notes

The Blaze initiated a coach’s challenge in the bottom of the second inning to review if catcher Kayla Kowalik was caught stealing at second base … The challenge was unsuccessful after the call was upheld.
The Blaze have scored in the first inning in 13-of-23 games this season after plating a pair of runs against the Bandits in the opening frame … They also scored the game’s first run for the 11th time this season.
The Blaze finished with 16 hits in Tuesday’s victory over the Bandits, marking the eighth time they have tallied 10 or more hits in a game … Five of the eight instances this season have come against the Bandits.
Every Blaze starter registered a hit in Tuesday night’s victory, including three players with a multi-hit eﬀort.
The Blaze scored six runs in the top of the second inning to mark the third time they have plated six runs in a single inning … The Blaze scored six times in the fourth inning against the Talons on June 15 and crossed home plate six times in the sixth inning on June 23 against the Bandits.
Ten of the Blaze’s 16 hits came with runners on base, including a 7-for-15 clip with runners in scoring position.
Rookie infielder Ana Gold became the fifth diﬀerent player to hit two home runs in an AUSL game this season … She belted a two-run shot in the second inning before adding a solo home run in the fourth inning … A player has now hit two home runs in a game six times this season.
Gold registered her team-leading fifth three-hit game after going 3-for-5 with three runs scored … She ranks second on the team with eight multi-hit performances this season.
Gold has also hit safely in seven of her last eight games with 11 hits during that span.
Infielder Aubrey Leach authored a 5-for-5 eﬀort in the victory on Tuesday night, becoming the first player in any Athletes Unlimited softball game to record a five-hit outing … The former Tennessee star collected four singles in addition to a double in the fifth inning.
Outfielder Aliyah Andrews has hit safely in five consecutive games after posting a 1-for-4 eﬀort with a run scored and a run batted in.
- Andrews has recorded a hit in eight of her last nine games dating back to June 23 against the Bandits.
Kowalik has a hit in four straight games following her 1-for-5 performance on Tuesday night.
Pitcher Devyn Netz upped her hitting streak to four straight games after going 1-for-3 in Tuesday’s win over the Bandits.
Outfielder Korbe Otis has registered three straight multi-hit games after posting a 2-for-5 showing with two runs scored on Tuesday night … She has six hits in her last three games after collecting three total hits in her previous six games.
Rookie pitcher Aliyah Binford earned the first win of her professional career after scattering four hits over 4.0 scoreless innings of relief on Tuesday night … She also recorded five strikeouts without a walk.

Bandits Notes

The Bandits dropped their second straight game after winning three contests in a row against the Volts last week in Round Rock … Since their season-long four-game win streak from June 19-22, the Bandits have fashioned a 5-7 record.
The Bandits called for a coach’s challenge in the bottom of the second inning to review if utility player Cori McMillan was out at first base … The challenge was unsuccessful after the call was upheld
The Bandits have now scored six or more runs in 14-of-23 games this season, owning an 11-3 record in those contests.
The Bandits allowed 10 or more runs for just the fourth time in 23 games this season after giving up a season-high 12 runs against the Blaze on Tuesday night.
Seven of the Bandits’ nine starters recorded at least one hit in the loss on Tuesday night.
Outfielder Morgan Zerkle belted her league-leading ninth home run of the season in the second inning, giving her four home runs in the last seven games … She also added a single and a double to earn her league-high 14th multi-hit game, including her fifth outing with three or more hits this season.
- The Bandits, who lead the AUSL with 37 home runs, have registered at least one home run in 19-of-23 games this season.
Infielder Skylar Wallace extended her hitting streak to 10 games in a row after her single in the first inning … The former Florida standout has registered a hit in 21-of-23 games this season, which leads the AUSL.
- Wallace has also reached base safely in each of her last 10 outings.
Infielder Danielle Gibson Whorton, who was traded from the Blaze prior to the AUSL trade deadline on July 11, went 3-for-4 with a run scored in the first game against her former team … She has hit safely in four of her last five games, accumulating eight hits during that span.
McMillan drove in two runs with a single in the bottom of the third inning … She has driven in three runs in her last four appearances.
Outfielder Bella Dayton has a five-game hitting streak after going 2-for-4 against the Blaze on Tuesday … She is 7-for-18 (.389) during the streak with a pair of multi-hit eﬀorts.
Infielder Delanie Wisz will carry a four-game hitting streak into Wednesday’s regular season finale after her 2-for-4 performance against the Blaze … She also collected her third multi-hit eﬀort of the season.
- Wisz has also reached base safely in seven straight games.
Pitcher Taylor McQuillin (3-1) suﬀered her first loss of the season after giving up eight runs (five earned) on six hits over 1.1 innings.