The stage is set for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League Play-In Game, with the Chicago Bandits (16-9) meeting the Portland Cascade (14-11) in the postseason opener in College Station, Texas, on Thursday, July 21.
The league’s expanded postseason format includes a game between the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, with the winner advancing to face the Utah Talons in the best-of-three AUSL Championship.
The chance to continue chasing a title for these two teams will come down to one game. Here’s a look at how they’ve fared throughout the regular season and keys to advancing to the finals.
Regular season meetings
The Bandits were the thorn in the Cascade’s side during the regular season. They first met for a two-game series in Chicago at the end of June, when the Bandits took both games by run rule (13-3, 11-3). Portland played host July 7-10 for a three-game set, and Chicago won the first two games 8-6 and 2-0. The Cascade picked up their sole win of the season against them in the final contest, squeaking out a 5-4 victory.
In those five games, Portland hit .277 as a team against the Chicago staff, which is actually above their season batting average of .242. However, they struggled in the circle, as most teams did against the most dominant offense in the league. Portland’s ERA on the season is 4.09, but against the Bandits jumped to 7.64. They did limit homers, though, to only five.
In the field, they weren’t as sharp either, making seven errors, which accounted for a large portion of their season total of 20.
The Bandits, on the other hand, were par for the course in most games against the West Coast foe. Their Cascade-specific ERA was 3.73, similar to their season ERA of 3.69. The Cascade didn’t see much of Amber Fiser or Odicci Alexander-Bennett, who only threw one and two innings, respectively.
The Chicago offense was elevated, though, logging 46 hits in those meetings for a .359 average and .602 slugging percentage.
Portland Cascade Keys
The Cascade will have to play their sharpest game of the season on Thursday, with pitchers hitting their spots and the defense playing cleanly behind them. Production from the Bandits offense is inevitable – they were only shut out twice all season and held to a single run just three times. The Portland offense will have to be at its best.
Portland has spent much of its season relying on pitching strength with a staff that has showcased some absolute gems throughout the year. But with the Bandits as their opponent, this historically has not been enough; offensive production will have to be high in key parts of the lineup.
Looking back at the 5-4 victory over Chicago on July 12, the team put together eight hits, two of which were home runs from Megan Grant and Tori Vidales.
They scored early, scoring runs in the first and second frames, but didn’t tack on any insurance runs from there on out. Payton Gottshall logged the win in the circle, and she’s had solid outings against the Bandits. Her ERA against that lineup is 4.90 across 10.0 IP with seven of the nine total runs earned.
The Bandits have seen Carley Hoover four different times but only for 8.1 innings; she was used in relief most often in their meetings. She struggled in those outings, giving up eight earned runs. It will be interesting to see if they’ll throw Sam Landry or Kenzie Brown on Thursday, considering both of them didn’t do well against the Bandits (both had ERAs above 10.0).
Grant and Vidales stand out as important bats for this game. Grant has been hitting in the three-hole as of late and finished second in the league in homers with 10 on the season. She reached base in each of her last 17 games, the longest streak this season in the AUSL. Vidales has been batting in the bottom half of the lineup and has had an uncharacteristically streaky season at the plate. Still, it shouldn’t be forgotten the clutch aspect of her game – Vidales hit a game-tying home run and had a crucial diving catch in the field during the Championship Series last year with the Talons.
Cascade Head Coach Tairia Flowers has mentioned many times throughout the season that this team, and especially the offense, is best when they’re not pressing and stay loose. They’re young, with only Vidales and Sierra Sacco-Ferrie who have championship experience from winning the title last season.
Chicago Bandits Keys
There wasn’t a team on more of an upward trend in the back half of the season than the Chicago Bandits. They clawed out of an 0-4 start to earn the No. 2 seed, at one point winning nine in a row for the longest win streak in the AUSL. They earned five straight series victories too as a part of their 13 wins in a 14-game span. All that to say the Bandits would not be denied another crack at the title.
What’s most impressive about their lineup is it doesn’t hinge on the success of a single player. Sure, they have two of the best hitters in the league in Sami Williams and Skylar Wallace, but four other athletes are hitting well above .300. They can trust that someone is going to get it done whether by leaving the yard or laying down a bunt.
The quickness and small ball have been a calling card for the team, and in a do-or-die game like Thursday, expect that to be utilized. Chicago leads the league in stolen bases with 10. They hit well situationally too, with a .328 average with runners on and .314 with runners in scoring position – the best in both categories in the AUSL. Their success in advancing runners is a staggering .530.
An arm to expect in the circle is Kat Sandercock, who threw the most against the Cascade and authored a 2-0 record against them. She threw for 13.1 innings across the two games and allowed only two earned runs on 10 hits. She struck out nine Portland batters, and they hit a measly .196 against her. They also have Pitcher of the Year candidate Lexi Kilfoyl waiting in the wings, who authored an unbeaten record of 6-0 on the season. She had a start that logged a win and three appearances against Cascade. But her 3.87 ERA against them was almost double her season ERA of 1.95.
One year ago, the Bandits fell short in the finals, and the Utah Talons await them again. But before they can tackle the team that has been their fiercest opponent all season, they must overcome the Cascade for the sixth time in two months.
Tune in on Thursday, July 23 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN to see these two teams duke it out to advance. Tickets are still available.
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter for the AUSL. You can follow her on Instagram @savvyco.
