The Bandits clinched a berth in the first-ever Athletes Unlimited Softball League Championship Thursday night after an 8-7 win over the Volts at Dell Diamond.
The back-and-forth contest secured the Bandits’ spot in the title game against the Talons on July 26 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“I would like us to not have to do these crazy ‘hold your breath’ at the end of the ball game,” head coach Stacy Nuceman said. “But a win is a win at the end of the day, but it comes down to getting some momentum for the next coming games.”
AUSL, which began in June, is a 24-game professional women’s softball season featuring four teams. The league includes players with Team USA experience and decorated collegiate careers, including three players from UT-Austin.
The atmosphere was electric, with over 4,000 fans in attendance.
“It’s great to see all the support that’s around AUSL,” former Texas Longhorn and current Bandit Bella Dayton said postgame. “I love Austin, and I love this environment, and it just fuels the fire.”
After a slow start offensively, the Bandits broke through in the top of the fourth inning with a three-run home run by Skylar Wallace to ignite the offense. Wallace, who entered the game outside the league’s top six in batting average, delivered in the clutch with a three-RBI performance despite not being one of the most statistically dominant players on the roster.
“Doubt was never a thing,” Wallace said postgame. “We knew what we needed to do (and) leaning onto each other.”
Wallace said the win came from the opportunity to regroup and come back as a team, especially with adjusting to different pitchers.
The Volts, who started Rachel Garcia in the circle, looked to build on her dominant showing in their last meeting with the Bandits — a 5-3 win where Garcia struck out nine. But Thursday’s outing proved more challenging. Garcia ran into trouble in the fourth inning and was replaced by Payton Gottshall, the first of two relief pitchers used by the Volts.
“When we’re in the game, we are communicating a lot and telling each other how we’re seeing,” Wallace said about the pitching changes. “Whether I get a hit or not, I’m trying to help the next person get their job done.”
Sam Show later entered in the sixth to try to quiet the Bandits’ bats, but the damage had been done. The Bandits put up runs in bunches and held off a late push by the Volts, who chipped away at the deficit thanks in part to Amanda Lorenz. Lorenz hit two home runs and drove in two RBIs to keep her team within striking distance.
The Volts put a runner on in the bottom of the seventh, giving the team a glimmer of hope with two outs. But Danieca Coffey struck out swinging, and the Bandits escaped with an 8-7 victory to clinch their spot in the championship game.
The Bandits and the Volts will play again on July 18 at 7 p.m., but there will be lower stakes. With three more games left to play in Round Rock, the Bandits now turn their attention to the upcoming championship game, while the Volts look to regroup heading into the final stretch of the season.
