It was a big rebound series for the Volts after being swept by the Bandits over the weekend and came out of it surging past the Blaze. The bats that were alive again, and the Volts added some more stars to the rotation. 

Texas standout Mia Scott signed with the team, and Sam Show, Dejah Mulipola, and Erika Piancastelli came back from Japan. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

GAME ONE (Volts 6, Blaze, 1) 

The Volts struck first on a Sierra Romero double in the first inning. In the bottom of the second, Danieca Coffey continued her hot hitting with a two-run home run.

 “ I think being around the team that is just so relaxed, calming and true to themselves makes it easier for me to be true to myself,” the rookie Coffey said after going 2-for-3 with three RBIs. 

 ”She has the advantage of learning from some of the best hitters in the world on our team,” says Head Coach Kelly Kretschman. “So I think she’s embraced that.”

The Blaze would push a run across in the 5th, but the Volts went on to score three more. 

After struggling against the Bandits, Rachel Garcia was stellar in the circle against the Blaze, throwing a complete game and allowing just four hits in seven innings and striking out nine. Garcia earned Pitcher of the Series honors for her performance.

GAME TWO (Volts, 9 Blaze, 2)

Game two was the resumption of the matchup that began on Tuesday, which was then postponed until Thursday. The Volts scored three runs before the weather rolled in. 

In the resumption, Jessi Warren (2-4, 2 RBIs) and Tiare Jennings (3-for-4, 3 RBIs) led the charge offensively. Payton Gottshall and Mariah Mazon kept the Blaze offense at bay, allowing just one hit apiece and not giving up a run. 

TAKEAWAY:

The main takeaway from this series is that the bats arrived and the Volts played better softball than they did against the Bandits.

 ”They took hard looks at themselves, to be honest,” Kretschman said. “We talked about it and they all owned up to the things that we weren’t doing right, and now you’re seeing a whole different team, which we know we can be.”

The little mistakes were cleaned up and the pitchers were much more efficient in keeping hitters off balance, allowing just three runs in the two games. 

Another significant help in this series, and one that will be even more impactful in the next, is the addition of players from Japan. Piancastelli, Mulipola, and Show are all seasoned pros who will provide a ton of power to this offense. 

UP NEXT:

The Volts’ (4-4) next series begins Friday against the Talons (5-3). The Talons are coming off an 8-4 loss to the Bandits. The teams are evenly matched, but for the Volts to pick up victories, they will have to do the following:

1. Slow down the Talons’ offense

As a team, the Talons boast the second-highest average in the league, hitting .320, right behind the Bandits. They’re led by long-time pro Hannah Flippen in addition to Jadelyn Allchin who are both hitting well above .400. 

2. Continue hot hitting

The Talons’ pitching staff has a team ERA of 6.29. The Volts can exploit this if they continue to make the adjustments that they did against the Blaze. 

In addition, the Volts got back arguably some of the best power hitters in the pro game in Piancastelli, Show and Mulipola. Rotating them into an already great lineup will be key.

Montana Fouts leads the Talons in innings pitched with 14. She has a 3.00 ERA. Megan Faraimo has thrown 13.2 innings. They also just got back Athletes Unlimited veteran, Georgina Corrick. 

3. Extended innings from Garcia will be key

Despite one rough outing against the Bandits, Garcia has been lights out in the circle for the Volts. Kretschman mentioned a key piece of this team is getting her as many innings as possible from Garcia because of how successful she has been. If she can keep rolling and the rest of the staff can fill in the gaps, the Volts will have a good chance against the Talons. 

The series begins Friday at 7:30 CT in Norman, Okla., on MLB.com. 

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