The Talons are heading to Salt Lake City for the first time this season to face off against the Blaze in a four-game series beginning Wednesday. The Talons, currently undefeated against the Blaze, are looking to add four more wins to their record this weekend.
Having already clinched a spot in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League Championship, the Talons have stressed the importance of finishing the regular season strong while also remaining the top seed heading into the postseason. Four wins this weekend would give the Talons extra insurance in their second-to-last series of the regular season.
“We really want to be the number one seed just to get those two home games in the [championship] series, being the home team. But I do think it is kind of like a pressure relief as well. Like we know that we made it, so you have other teams who are still fighting for a spot,” Raelin Chaffin said.
With that being said, the Talons, led by Head Coach Howard Dobson, believe that the hard work is not nearly finished. With six regular-season games remaining, there is more opportunity for their dynamic pitching staff, aggressive offense and lights-out defense to compete.
Chaffin and Georgina Corrick have been quite the forceful duo in the circle. Each has five wins on the season. The Talons lead the league in strikeouts. Megan Faraimo, who has pitched the most innings for the Talons this season, has a team-leading 32 strikeouts and has been a powerful presence on the mound. Montana Fouts is back from the injured list, and with Mariah Lopez as the only lefty on staff, the Blaze have their work cut out for them as they try to work through this dynamic pitching staff.
Offensively, Caroline Jacobsen has been dominant at the plate. The outfielder, on a five-game hitting streak with a .426 batting average and on-base percentage of .500, has been crucial to the Talons’ success. Not far behind is outfielder Jadelyn Allchin, hitting .405 with an OBP of .500 to match. The Talons continue to produce clutch hits, which was a theme in their most recent series win against the Bandits.
While the Blaze are currently at the bottom of the AUSL standings, they can not be overlooked. They are coming off a big nine-run win against the Volts. Earning their first series win, they also swept the series awards as Keilani Ricketts was named pitcher of the series and infielder Ana Gold was named player of the series. Ricketts made her first appearance since June 15 in game two of the series and secured the save, not allowing a base hit in her 2.1 innings pitched. In game three, Gold went 3-for-3 at the plate with a solo home run.
Against a Blaze team that is heating up, the Talons will have to fight off the bottom seed as they aim to secure the number one spot in the league.
The Talons will play the Blaze on Wednesday, July 16, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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.
