RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesMontana Fouts struck out four batters in a complete game while Jadelyn Allchin, Bri Ellis and Sahvanna Jaquish each hit home runs as the Utah Talons repeated as champions of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League on Sunday, July 26.
The Talons swept the Chicago Bandits in a best-of-three series , winning 2-1 on Saturday and 6-1 on Sunday at Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas.
Before finding a permanent home in Utah, the Talons won the inaugural AUSL Championship last season. Their goal this year was to defend that title.
“The first time I met all of them on a call in March, I asked them what their mission was, and they said to repeat,” Talons coach Cindy Ball-Malone said. “All I’m going to say is: job well done. Incredibly proud of them, and I’m pinching myself with this opportunity. I feel so blessed.”
Allchin, an outfielder from UCLA, was named MVP of the championship series. She went 3-for-6 with three RBIs and three runs scored across the pair of wins for Utah. Her two-run homer just 11 pitches into Game 2 set the tone for the series-clincher on Sunday.
U-CAW! 🦅 pic.twitter.com/75SRdFEvJX
— Utah Talons | AUSL (@AUSL_Talons) July 26, 2026 Ellis, the AUSL Comeback Player of the Year and former Arkansas star, all but sealed the win for the Talons in the fifth inning when she blasted a solo dinger over Texas A&M’s scoreboard.
Fouts allowed eight hits but was at her best when the pressure was on as the Bandits went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position on Sunday. Georgina Corrick pitched Game 1 of the championship series, allowing just four hits while striking out five for the Talons.
The outing from Fouts completes a stellar season in which she was named AUSL Pitcher of the Year and set a single-season record with 67 strikeouts.
Sunday’s game marked the third sellout in AUSL postseason history, including the second sellout in as many days. The series between the Bandits and Talons caps off AUSL’s second full season of play and its first where teams were based in cities , rather than touring across the country.
In the early years of this fledgling professional softball league, the Talons seem to be on their way toward establishing the AUSL’s first dynasty.
For the league in the bigger picture, the AUSL looks like a success. Led by commissioner Kim Ng, backed by Major League Baseball and with an impressive media rights package that featured games on ESPN, MLB Network and ABC, the AUSL averaged 198,000 viewers this regular season, up 183% from last year. The league also saw 23 regular-season sellouts and merchandise sales increase by about 200%.
That lines up with the growth that the sport is seeing at the college level, where ESPN delivered the most-watched Women’s College World Series on record this year. Momentum for softball is expected to keep building as the sport returns to the Summer Olympics in 2028.
Next up for the AUSL is its All-Star Cup, which will be played throughout the month of August in Rosemont, Illinois with games televised by ESPNU, MLB Network and CBS Sports Network.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Montana Fouts, Jadelyn Allchin power Utah Talons to AUSL championship
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