ROSEMONT, Ill -- Three hours before the historic first pitch, fans lined either side of the blue carpet leading up to the entrance of The Stadium at Parkway Bank Sports Complex.
Youth softball teams in full uniform, groups of girls with Talons, Bandits, Volts and Blaze T-shirts and families from the Illinois area and beyond were among those eager to find their seats and witness the opening game of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League’s inaugural season.
In the inaugural game in Rosemont, the Bandits edged the Talons, 3-1, behind Erin Coffel's two-run triple in the third inning. The second game, played in Wichita, Kan., was deadlocked after seven innings but was decided in epic fashion thanks to McKenzie Clark's mammoth three-run homer over the scoreboard in left field to put an exclamation point on a four-run eighth inning in a 5-1 win.
ATHLETES UNLIMITED SOFTBALL LEAGUE
“It’s really surreal,” said Kara Duncan, mother of Bandits starting catcher Cori McMillan. “It’s just beyond any belief I would have had even at the beginning of this college softball season. Just to realize that there was more after this for her, and then just looking forward to the generations to come. It’s just the coolest thing in the world.”
As the gates opened, fans flooded onto the concourse and ran to secure the best seats in the house. A group of youth softball players snagged the seats behind home plate, ensuring a top-tier view for the Talons vs. Bandits showdown.
“It's now time to just sit back and let the talent do its job,” AUSL advisor Natasha Watley said. “Because that really is the sell, the product that's on the field.”
With the AUSL season underway, here are some of the top moments from both games on a memorable Opening Day:
1. The first homer -- and run
No better time for your first professional homer than your first professional at-bat. Facing Bandits starting pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl, Sierra Sacco crushed the AUSL’s first home run -- and run -- over the left-field fence into the outfield stands. Sacco hit 11 homers in her senior season at Mississippi State before being drafted as the No. 5 overall pick by the Talons.
Sacco homered while Bandits left fielder Bubba Nickles-Camarena was mic’d up on the broadcast. Nickels-Camarena had just noted how cool it was to see such a full house, especially having fans in the outfield, before Sacco treated those fans to a front-row seat for a historic moment.
2. The first hit
After a 1-2-3 top half of the first, Bandits center fielder Morgan Zerkle doubled off Talons starting pitcher Montana Fouts for the first hit in AUSL history. After Zerkle reached second, the ball was carefully tossed off the field for authentication.
In 2024, Zerkle became the first player in Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball history to reach 10,000 career leaderboard points. An Alabama alum, Fouts helped Team USA to a gold medal in the 2022 World Games with a 0.00 ERA and 13 K’s over five innings.
3. Ceremonial first pitches
“Welcome to our house,” said Kim Ng from the circle. After Ng welcomed fans, the AUSL commissioner introduced advisors and softball legends Watley, Jennie Finch and Jess Mendoza to throw out ceremonial first pitches.
4. Superwoman slide
Thanks to some heads-up baserunning, the Bandits added an insurance run in the fifth after the Talons’ Sydney Romero let a throw get away from her following a diving stop at third. Skylar Wallace reached first and advanced to second on the play as Sydney McKinney raced home and slid across the plate to beat the throw.
5. Clark puts charge into 3-run homer
After taking a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth inning against the Blaze, the Volts were looking for some insurance. They got it in a big way when McKenzie Clark crushed a long three-run homer that went over the scoreboard in left field at Wilkins Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University.
6. Putting out a fire for the Blaze
Emma Lemley was summoned in relief of Blaze starter Aleshia Ocasio, inheriting a jam in the third inning of a 1-1 game against the Volts. With the bases loaded and two outs, Lemley froze Miranda Stoddard for a huge inning-ending strikeout.
7. 'Mom strength' makes history
The first RBI in Blaze history? That belongs to Danielle Gibson Whorton, whose first at-bat since giving birth to her son, Whitley, was an RBI double to give the Blaze an early 1-0 lead against the Volts in Wichita.
8. Wild West meets birdland
A new league deserves a new take on player intros. As each player was announced, they emerged from the dugout and walked through a mini set representing their team. The Talons players put up their claws as they came through the center of a pair of massive green and white wings, while the Bandits pushed past old saloon-style doors to take their place on the field.
9. A win to remember
The Bandits are off to a 1-0 start after defeating the Talons, 3-1, on Saturday. Kilfoyl pitched four innings of one-run ball, giving up five hits and notching three strikeouts before Taylor McQuillin closed the game with three scoreless innings. Coffel powered the offense with a two-run game-winning triple.
10. Baseball legends show their support
Sitting alongside softball royalty in a makeshift suite at the complex were former Yankees manager and MLB executive Joe Torre and former White Sox executive vice president Ken Williams. Ng worked in tandem with Williams during her tenure with the White Sox when she was the special projects analyst and assistant director of baseball operations.
“I just love the athleticism and the action,” Torre said during an in-game interview. “And these girls are really into it, which we appreciate.”