COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Utah Talons defeated the Chicago Bandits in Game 2 of the 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League Championship, to capture their second consecutive AUSL championship. Montana Fouts recorded another complete game win, as the Talons offense put up six runs on 10 hits to defeat the Bandits 6-1.
“Incredibly proud of this group,” Talons head coach Cindy Ball-Malone said after. “Congratulations to the Bandits for a great year. 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. All I’m going to say is job well done. So incredibly proud of them, and I’m pinching myself with this opportunity. Feel so blessed.”
Utah attacked Kat Sandercock early. After Jayda Coleman led off the game with a single in eight pitches, Jadelyn Allchin crushed a two-run home run to right field for the 2-0 lead. Sandercock gave up a single to Jordan Woolery and a walk to Sharlize Palacios before getting out of a 29-pitch first inning.
Montana Fouts took the circle with an early advantage, and the Chicago Bandits were able to get the ball in the air. After back-to-back flyouts were recorded, Fouts gave up a single to Morgan Zerkle to left. Then, after falling behind 3-0, Fouts battled back to strike out Mac Barbara to end the inning.
Sandercock had a better second inning. She recorded two strikeouts in the frame, with only an infield single given up to Aliyah Andrews. The Talons were showing the mindset to be fighters at the plate. Through two innings, they forced Sandercock to throw 50 pitches.
Jocelyn Erickson singled an 0-1 pitch to left to begin the bottom of the second inning. Then with one out, Keirstin Roose beat out an infield single to place two on. However, they were both left stranded as Fouts retired the inning. She recorded her second strikeout of the game, fanning Bella Dayton in the frame.
Jordan Woolery improved to 2-for-2 on the day with a leadoff single in the top of the third inning. Sandercock went on to get out of the side and keep the score where it was. After that first inning or so, she settled in.
The Talons defense is one of the best units, and Allchin showed another example why in the bottom of the third. Skylar Wallace lined to left, where Allchin made a great diving catch to erase a base hit. Then, after Zerkle recorded her second base hit of the game with a two-out single, Fouts struck out Barbara for the second time this game.
An error struck in the top of the third, as Sami Williams overthrew Ailana Agbayani at second base with Andrews reaching on a fielder’s choice. That allowed Hannah Flippen, who got on with a one-out bunt single, to score from first base to take a 3-0 lead. Then, Andrews, who reached on a fielder’s choice, scored on an Allchin two-out RBI single to extend the lead to 4-0. Sandercock then exited the game for Taylor McQuillin who got the Bandits out of the inning without further damage.
Fouts kept attacking the Bandits, and the bottom of the fourth inning was the first frame where she retired the Bandits in order. Chicago continued to get under the ball, and either fly out or pop up. The Talons had no issues with pop ups. Bri Ellis led off the top of the fifth inning and demolished a solo home run over the Davis Diamond jumbo board in left field, to give the Talons a 5-0 lead.
The Bandits looked as if they would put up a run in the bottom of the fifth, but it ended in another zero. Bella Dayton led off with a single. Then, with two outs after Fouts fanned Agbayani, Wallace singled to put two on. However, after Dayton reached third on a Williams flyout, the Talons stranded the runners.
Chicago went to Lexi Kilfoyl in the top of the sixth. Coleman dropped a one-out bunt single, before Kilfoyl came on with two outs. She retired Woolery on a groundout to third to get out of the inning.
After Fouts retired the bottom of the sixth, the Talons added on one more with a Sahvanna Jaquish two-out solo home run in the top of the seventh to make it 6-0.
Fouts then returned for the complete game, but the Bandits wouldn’t go out silent. Mary Iakopo reached on a leadoff walk, and Dayton followed with a single to put two on. Then with one out, Wallace recorded an RBI single to score Roose, who pinch ran for Iakopo.
To finish it off, Fouts induced two groundouts to finish off Utah’s championship run. After the game, Allchin was presented with the 2026 AUSL Championship MVP. She was a reserve pool player a year ago, that did not get the chance to play in their first championship. This year, she was a staple on this team from start to finish.
“I don’t think I ever left the Talons, which is my favorite feeling,” Allchin told Southeastern Softball Wire. “Even though I was a reserve last year, coming back I was able to celebrate with them on the field. But being on the other side this year, it was all props to them. They still had the same belief in me. They still had my back regardless, and being able to just show up as me has taken me a long way and has helped in many more ways than one.”
