The stage is set in Tuscaloosa as the top two teams in the AUSL prepare for a best-of-three championship showdown.
The Talons and Bandits have traded games all summer, and their season series is tied up at four games apiece. This weekend, the Talons have a chance to prove that they can overcome the Bandits in Championship fashion.
“Whoever withstands the blows the quickest is going to respond faster,” said Talons Head Coach Howard Dobson.
The Talons, who won the regular season title with an 18-6 record, are looking to settle the brewing rivalry between their league foe. Claiming the home-field advantage as the No. 1 seed, they have also played their last two games of the regular season in Tuscaloosa earlier this week.
They’re coming off a loss to the Volts, while the Bandits ended with a win against the Blaze in Rosemont, Ill. Yet, none of that will matter when they take the field at Rhoads Stadium at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Despite dominating most of the league, Dobson expressed earlier this season that the Bandits have been a thorn in their side. Now, the Hitter of the Year and Pitcher of the Year will go head to head.
Erin Coffel claimed the award with a .410 average and is the leading run producer for the Bandits with 28 RBI. As a team, they also led the league in runs scored with 152 and counting on the season.
They have had no shortage of run production and are hoping they come in a timely fashion this weekend. The top of their lineup could be considered a “Big Four” with Coffel plus infielders Sydney McKinney, Skylar Wallace and outfielder Morgan Zerkle. Zerkle leads the league with nine home runs. McKinney was the statistical batting champion of the season, recording a .486 average. Wallace is tied for first in the league in stolen bases.
Zerkle, McKinney, and Wallace are the only players in the AUSL to knock 30 or more hits this season.
“We have to make quality pitches at the right time, especially with those guys who are big boppers at the top of their order. Try to get them to come up with no one on base, we can take care of the bottom of the order and make them come up with only a solo shot here and there and keep them in check, Dobson said. “Then we have a very good chance; we put ourselves in a good position.”
The Talons’ offense has been a force as well, and the recent addition of Maya Brady had a prodoundly positive impact. Outfielder Caroline Jacobsen has a .478 batting average against the Bandits, while infielder Tori Vidales has hit safely in all of her seven outings against the team in blue. Outfielders Sierra Sacco and Jadelyn Allchin each have a pair of home runs against the Bandits.
For the Talons, pitching has been their speciality with Pitcher of the Year winner Georgina Corrick at the helm of their staff. She earned her first win of the season against the Bandits and has been a force since. With a league-leading earned run average of 2.04 and a perfect record of 6-0, she has been lights out.
While her presence will be vital in the circle, she is accompanied by rookie Raelin Chaffin, the only other pitcher in the AUSL who has six wins. Hometown hero Montana Fouts creates momentum in Rhoads Stadium like no other. Plus, they have the team strikeout leader in Megan Faraimo and the lone lefty Mariah Lopez to utilize through the series.
This dynamic bunch has commanded the league, but almost exclusively, their trouble has been against the Bandits. It will take a collective effort to quiet the foe in this Championship Series.
“We defensively are super sound. So for me in particular, from a pitching standpoint, I want to feed my defense,” Georgina Corrick said. “So it’s going to be this counter effort of, can I feed my defense and trust them enough to be moving my stuff off the plate and hopefully get some swings and misses. Then trust that on the other side, if I’m feeding my defense, my offense can feed me as well. I think the Bandits are a great team. They bring a lot of variety and diversity to the table from an offensive side of things, and I think we’re going to have to match that from the bullpen.”
The Talons will face the Bandits for game one of the Championship Series at 3 p.m. ET on July 26 on ESPN.
Cayla Sweazie is a former collegiate softball player turned sports reporter with a passion for telling the stories of athletes. She is serving as a correspondent for the Talons of the AUSL. You can follow her on Instagram @caysweazie.
