The Oklahoma City Spark’s inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League season came to an end Tuesday morning as they fell to the Carolina Blaze, 11-1, in a weather-delayed regular-season finale at Smith Family Stadium.
Originally scheduled for Monday night, the game was suspended after a two-hour, 17-minute weather delay and resumed Tuesday morning. Carolina took control before the suspension, scoring eight runs in the opening inning before adding three more in the second.
The loss leaves Oklahoma City with a 13-12 record and a fourth-place finish in the final league standings, one game behind the Portland Cascade for the final postseason berth.
Carolina seized control immediately, sending 13 batters to the plate during an eight-run first inning. The Blaze’s first five hitters reached safely before Valerie Cagle capped the rally with a three-run home run to right field. Reese Atwood added an RBI single and later cleared the bases with a three-run double after Carolina batted around.
The Blaze stretched the advantage to 11-0 in the second inning when Aubrey Leach lined a bases-clearing triple into the gap.
Maya Brady provided the Spark’s lone run with a solo home run in the fifth inning, her league-leading 11th of the season. The blast also established a new AUSL single-season record for home runs.
Sydney Sherrill broke up Carolina’s no-hit bid with a single in the fourth inning, while Amari Harper extended her on-base streak to five games after being hit by a pitch in the second.
Maya Johnson was charged with the loss after allowing three runs without recording an out. Jailyn Ford took over when play resumed Tuesday and worked the remainder of the game, striking out five batters while allowing three runs.
Despite the disappointing finish, the Spark closed their inaugural campaign with a winning record and remained in postseason contention until the final day of the regular season.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
