Bandits Stay Hot!
The Bandits have been riding high all season, and Friday night at Wilkins Stadium in Wichita, Kansas, they showed why they’re the team to beat in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
In game one of a four-game set against the struggling Blaze, the Bandits rolled to a dominant 11-2 run-rule victory in five innings, combining relentless offense with sharp pitching to extend their league-best record to 7-2.
It was the kind of night where everything just clicked.
The Bandits’ Power Surge
After a scoreless first two innings, the Bandits broke the game wide open in the third. A sequence of smart baserunning, timely hitting, and Blaze miscues opened the floodgates. With Bella Dayton’s RBI single and a catcher’s throwing error, the Bandits were up 2-0 before Sydney McKinney delivered a two-RBI single to cap off a four-run frame.
By the time the dust settled, Alana Vawter’s night in the circle was over. The Stanford alum was tagged for six hits and four unearned runs in just 2.2 innings of work. The Bandits weren’t done, though.
In the fourth, they blew the doors off.
Devyn Netz drove in two more with a sharp single, McKinney added her third RBI of the night, and Morgan Zerkle laced a double down the line to score two more. Skylar Wallace’s RBI single capped a six-run fourth inning that left little doubt about the outcome. It was a complete offensive clinic, marked by eight different Bandits reaching base and six runs crossing the plate before Blaze could record the third out.
The Blaze would draw across two runs in the bottom half of the fourth with Anissa Urtez hitting a base hit to center scoring two runs for the Blaze after back to back walks.
The exclamation point came in the fifth when Netz launched her first professional home run — a no-doubt shot to left center — to push the Bandits to an 11-2 lead.
McQuillin Silences Blaze Bats
While the offense did its part, Taylor McQuillin quietly dominated in the circle. The Arizona alum was nearly untouchable, tossing three no-hit innings with two strikeouts and just one walk before handing things over to Sarah Willis in the fourth.
McQuillin’s ability to set the tone early helped the Bandits settle in and control the tempo of the game.
Willis ran into a bit of trouble in the fourth, issuing three walks and giving up a two-run single to Anissa Urtez, but it was too little, too late for the Blaze.
Blaze Still Searching
For the Blaze, now 1-8 on the season, the loss continues a rough stretch. They’ve been outscored 20-4 over their last two games and have struggled to find consistency in the circle.
Vawter’s outing was marred by defensive errors behind her, and the bullpen couldn’t stop the bleeding. Offensively, aside from Urtez’s two-run knock, there was little to celebrate.
Still, with three more games left in the series, they’ll look to regroup quickly.
Up Next
Game two of the series between the Bandits (7-2) and Blaze (1-8) takes place tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. EDT on MLB Network. The Bandits will look to keep their momentum rolling, while the Blaze aim to bounce back and break the losing streak.
