After a hot start in the first series of the year, the Volts have struggled to find their footing in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. They picked up two victories against the Blaze, but have since dropped four straight to the Talons. Here’s how it happened. 

GAME ONE (Talons, 3 Volts 2) 

One of the struggles for the Volts has been getting behind early in games and then trying to recover. In Game One of the four-game series in Norman, Okla., it was a similar tune as the Talons scored two early runs in the top of the first inning and then another in the third. 

The Volts got on the board with a Rachel Garcia solo shot in the fifth inning. They scored a run in the seventh inning but then left the bases loaded to lose 3-2. Head Coach Kelly Kretschman said,  ”We’re leaving way too many runners on base and runners in scoring position – we’re not doing a very good job with that.”

GAME TWO (Talons, 4 Volts, 0)

In game two, the struggles at the plate continued. The Volts had just three hits and failed to score a run in the matchup. For the team in green, Georgina Corrick was stellar in the circle, tossing a complete game shutout and striking out seven. 

GAME THREE (Talons, 8 Volts 3) 

Despite what the final score ended up being, the third game of the series was one of the better-played matchups for the Volts. The team in purple and green came up with the runs when they needed them. After trailing 3-0, they scored three in the bottom of the fifth. Amanda Lorenz and Sis Bates came up with RBI singles, and Sierra Romero brought a run home on a sacrifice fly. 

The game went into extra innings, and that’s where things started to come undone. The Talons bats came alive, and they powered five runs across to win the game. 

GAME FOUR (Talons, 8 Volts, 6)

The Volts bats heated up in this matchup, but it was a bit too late. They scored in the first and third innings, but then were quiet in frames four through six. Meanwhile, the Talons pushed eight runs across. 

In the bottom of the seventh, the team in purple and green came alive again. Jessie Warren and Sam Show singled and then Mia Scott brought Warren home with a double. Amanda Lorenz then hit a three-run home run. But then, with two outs, Sierra Romero grounded out to end the game. 

TAKEAWAYS 

1. The biggest struggle is the bats.

The Volts have struggled at the plate this season. They currently have the lowest batting average in the league sitting at .263.

“We’ve been working on things as much as we possibly can,” says Head Coach Kelly Kretschman. “Most of the women on our team have played this game for a long time. They know how to execute so now they just need to go out there and do it.”

They certainly can do it. Even though the team average isn’t as high as they would like, they still have four active players hitting over .300 with Amanda Lorenz hitting .432 and Danieca Coffey at .370 while Tiare Jennings has 11 RBIs. 

2. The pitching is still very good. 

Rachel Garcia is one of the best in the league. She has more strikeouts than any pitcher in the AUSL with 31 Ks through 35.1 innings pitched. As a team the Volts have the best ERA sitting at 3.72. If they can generate some offense their arms in the circle can back them up. 

3. The break will be helpful. 

The Volts were at a bit of a disadvantage in that they had three players still in Japan when the season started (Erika Piancastelli, Dejah Mulipola, and Sam Show) along with Sam Landry and Mia Scott joining late. 

Coach Kretschman said the break will be good for people to rest their bodies, but also to get those that weren’t there acclimated and consistent. 

“The thing I’m probably most looking forward to in the second half is we’re going to have everybody right from the start,” said Kretschman. “It’s kind of difficult to come together as a team and you’ve got so many moving parts and people coming in and out and not really sure who’s gonna be on the roster, who’s not.”

MOVING FORWARD 

Despite early season struggles, Coach Kretschman says her team has stuck together. It’s what she is most proud of and she thinks that will help them as the season continues. The Volts resume play on Monday, July 7th in Rosemont, Illinois when they take on the Bandits at 6:00 pm CDT. 

Maria Trivelpiece is currently the Director of Video Communications and Reporter at the American Athletic Conference and a softball color analyst. Trivelpiece was an outfielder at Fordham University and still stays involved with the game through coaching and covering the sport. You can follow her on X M_Trivelpiece or Instagram @_mariatrivelpiece