Talons sweep Bandits to win inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League title
After clinching the regular season title, the Talons swept the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) Championship presented by Sephora against the Bandits to clinch the AUSL first-ever title by winning the three game finals series 2-0.
Their weekend concluded with a storybook ending as hometown hero Montana Fouts earned a complete-game shutout win, defeating the Bandits 1-0 and clinching the first AUSL championship title.
“I wouldn’t have wanted to do this anywhere else, with anybody else," Fouts said. "I’ve been very fortunate to be with the coaching staff and with the team for a couple months now, and I feel like we really are family. That’s what makes this so special. Obviously, winning is awesome, but I just feel like whenever you step on the field with people like this, you’ve already won.”
The Talons had traded wins with the Bandits all season long, and they were able to put the exclamation mark on their final series.
The importance of pitching this series was top of mind for the Talons, and they were able to successfully hold the Bandits’ explosive offence to just one run all weekend.
The Talons claimed Game 1 of the series, 3-1, with a collective team effort from their star pitching staff as Georgina Corrick earned her first postseason win and Megan Faraimo claimed the save to hold the Bandits to just one run.
In Game 2, Fouts blanked the Bandits in a complete-game masterpiece, leading the team to the championship.
“What a day to make history. From having to come back to finish the first game, to come back and do what we did, our pitching staff was unbelievable this weekend, to do that, to that offence is unheard of,” said Head Coach Howard Dobson.