Chaffin deals early, Feraimo slams the door as Talons edge Volts 3-2
Talons Strike Early
Athletes Unlimited Softball League action took stage in Norman, Oklahoma, and the Talons wasted no time putting pressure on the Volts.
Former Oklahoma State standout Sam Show made her season debut in the circle, but the Talons came out swinging. Tori Vidales drove in Sierra Sacco with an RBI-single, and Caroline Jacobsen followed with another RBI-single to bring home Hannah Flippen for a 2-0 lead in the first.
Talons Keep Applying Pressure
Show ran into more issues in the second, hitting Sahvanna Jaquish to open the inning. Bri Ellis followed with a single, but a challenge revealed Jaquish had left early, wiping the hit and the scoring chance off the board. Ellis later walked, but Show again escaped.
In the third, two walks opened the door again for the Talons, and Rachel Garcia took over in relief. A Jacobsen bunt single and a miscue allowed Flippen to score again, pushing the lead to 3-0.
Chaffin Sets the Tone
Raellin Chaffin worked around a first-inning jam and then settled into a groove. She tossed four innings of three-hit, one-run ball, striking out three and giving her team exactly what it needed.
Her only mistake came to Rachel Garcia, the player doing it all for the Volts.
Garcia’s Two-Way Night
Garcia was sharp in the circle, giving the Volts a chance to fight back. She finished with five innings pitched, two hits allowed, no earned runs, three walks, and four strikeouts.
She also put the Volts on the board with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the fifth, her first of the season.
Enter Feraimo
After the Garcia homer, the Talons turned to Megan Feraimo, who brought the heat and got McKenzie Clark swinging to stop the momentum.
Feraimo worked around traffic in the sixth, hitting Allchin and walking Palacios, but got a big strikeout of Flippen to keep the lead intact.
Seventh-Inning Tension
The Volts gave the Talons a scare in the bottom of the seventh. Piancastelli and Romero opened with back-to-back singles, setting the stage.
Garcia stepped up and delivered again, sending a sac fly to center that made it 3-2.
Then rookie Michaela Edenfield doubled down the right field line, but it hopped the wall for a ground-rule double, holding Romero at third. That ground-rule double saved the Talons’ lead.
After a strikeout to Danieca Coffey, the Talons issued an intentional walk to Amanda Lorenz to load the bases. Feraimo had no room for error with Mia Scott up.
Full count. Big moment. Feraimo won it, striking out Scott for the final out of the game; after a decent battle at the plate. Feraimo was locked in and showed her determination and intensity from the moment she stepped in.
Although both teams struggled with runners in scoring position, and had a few miscues, this game lived up to the excitement in the end.
The pitching was good overall. Outside of the early two runs by the Talons in the first, it was pretty much a pitcher’s duel. Tomorrow’s match up will feature Georgina Corrick (Talons) and Payton Gottshall (Volts).
Final Lines
- Raellin Chaffin: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 K (W, 3-1)
- Megan Feraimo: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 5 K (SV, 2)
- Rachel Garcia: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; 1-for-2, HR, Sac Fly, 2 RBI
- Left on Base: Talons 9, Volts 6
What’s Next
Game two of the series is Saturday at 5:00 PM EDT on ESPNU. The Talons will look to keep rolling, while the Volts aim to bounce back and even the series.
