Welcome Back to Rosemont!
Tonight marked the return of Athletes Unlimited Softball League after a two-week break, and the energy in Rosemont, Illinois was electric. A packed house was on hand as the Bandits and Volts opened the second half of the season. The Bandits entered as one of the league’s hottest teams, while the Volts looked to turn the page after a rocky first half at 4-8.
It was a beautiful evening. The breeze rolled in just right, and the atmosphere was everything you could ask for in a July softball game. What we saw in game one of the doubleheader was eye-opening.
I’ve said since the break that the Volts had more in them, and tonight showed what this group is capable of when they put it all together.
Rachel Garcia Sets the Tone
It all started in the circle with Rachel Garcia. The veteran out of UCLA was locked in from the first pitch. Despite a couple of hit batters and walks, Garcia was dominant. She didn’t allow a hit through five innings, and when the Bandits managed to square one up, her defense had her back.
On the other side, Emiley Kennedy took the circle for the Bandits and looked sharp early. That changed when Amanda Lorenz stepped in.
Lorenz Turns Momentum
After a baserunning mistake wiped away a Dejah Mulipola hit in the third, Kennedy had a chance to reset. But after a walk to Ciara Briggs, Lorenz unloaded on a two-run homer to left-center. Just like that, the Volts were on the board.
Things unraveled even more in the fourth. Mia Scott led off with a well-placed single to left and worked her way to third. Mulipola came through with an RBI-single to make it 3-0 and chased Kennedy from the game.
Devyn Netz came on in relief and immediately found herself in trouble. In a bases loaded situation, she walked Danieca Coffey to bring in another run. Jessi Warren scored and the Volts had opened up a 4-0 lead.
Garcia Keeps the Bandits in Check
Garcia stayed locked in. Heading into the fifth, the Bandits were still without a hit. The only blemishes were free bases given by walks or HBPs. The Volts defense continued to play clean, and Garcia continued to deal.
Tiare Jennings added to the Volts lead with a solo homer to left in the bottom of the fifth. The lead had grown to 5-0.
Bubba Nickles-Camarena finally broke up the no-hit bid in the sixth with a single up the middle. Delanie Wisz followed with a walk, but Garcia responded with her seventh strikeout of the night before getting out of the side on a Devyn Netz foul out. She had only allowed one hit through six innings.
It wasn’t a perfect game, but it was a gem. This is the kind of outing that sets the tone for a second-half surge.
Bandits Mount a Comeback
The Bandits, known for their fight, weren’t going to go quietly. In the seventh, Roberts reached on a walk and McKinney reached on an error. Cori McMillan came in to run and the Bandits had something brewing.
Morgan Zerkle moved Roberts to third with a flyout. After a Skylar Wallace strikeout, Erin Coffel delivered an RBI-single to make it 5-1. Then Nickles-Camarena reached on an error, scoring McMillan. The lead was cut to 5-2.
Wisz followed with a single to left, scoring Coffel and suddenly it was a 5-3 ballgame with two runners on.
With the leading run at the plate, Garcia was facing real pressure for the first time all night. Bella Dayton stepped in with a chance to flip the game but went down swinging on a 3-2 count.
Volts Close it Out
Garcia finished what she started. The Volts picked up a massive win to open the second half, 5-3 over one of the league’s top teams. It wasn’t perfect, but it was gritty, and it was exactly the kind of game they needed to turn things around.
Final Thoughts
Tonight was what the Volts needed to look up and begin to turn things around. Post game, it was talked about how the Volts had to have fun and play like they had nothing to lose, as Coach Kelly Kretschman stated.
Tonight was about the offense just as much as it was about Rachel Garcia. Once the Volts broke through on Emiley Kennedy, they kept the bats moving and never allowed the Bandits to settle in the circle and pitch comfortably.
Sometimes you just need a reset, and to work on some things in your own time. At least tonight it seems the break did the Volts some good. The question now, can they keep it up?
