DURHAM – The Athletes Unlimited Softball League began Tuesday evening, as the Carolina Blaze hosted the Portland Cascade. The Blaze’s offense woke up in the fourth and fifth innings and earned a 4-1 win.
“I thought we had great adjustments throughout the whole game,” Blaze head coach Kara Dill said afterward. “We set the tone really well offensively, defensively and on the mound. We did a great job of giving up a hit but then coming right back and getting a strikeout or an out. We didn’t let things run too far.
“And then offensively, just making adjustments. Our third time through, Aubrey squares that ball up, and Lele put up some runs while she was on the mound. Those are some really big momentum moments for us. Overall, it was a great team win on all sides. By no means a perfect game, but a really good start for our organization.”
Aleshia Ocasio took the start for the Blaze. She threw 4.0 innings with one run allowed on three hits. Ocasio saw some traffic but was often able to keep things clean with six groundouts induced. That allowed the defense to clean things up behind her.
Carolina’s Devyn Netz smashed a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth for her first of the season. That would also go in the books as the first home run of the AUSL season.
After a leadoff hit by pitch issued to Sierra Sacco-Ferrie, the Blaze retired the side without damage in the top of the first. Tori Vidales lined into a double play to center field after Sacco-Ferrie failed to get back on base.
Kelly Maxwell took the start for the Cascade and kept a clean inning, including a strikeout of Netz to retire the side. In the second inning, Ocasio struck out two and retired the side in order.
Carolina quickly put two on in the bottom of the second with an Alyssa Brito walk and a Kayla Kowalik single deflected off Vidales’ glove at first for a base hit. Maxwell got out of the jam and tossed back-to-back strikeouts looking to McKenzie Clark and Ocasio.
Portland struck first in the top of the third. After Sis Bates reached on a perfectly placed single down the third-base line, Kendra Falby brought her home with an RBI double to make it 1-0. Jenna Laird was the only Blaze batter to reach in the bottom of the third before Ocasio stared trouble in the face in the fourth inning.
The Cascade loaded the bases, starting with a Vidales leadoff double. Then, with one out, Ocasio escaped after Kelly Torres lined into a double play at shortstop. Brito made a snap play with a tag of Kennedy Powell at second. Powell was initially called safe, but a review changed the outcome.
That was a huge play, as the Blaze found the scoreboard in the bottom half. After two quick outs, Karli Spaid and Clark reached on walks. Ocasio helped herself with a game-tying RBI double.
“It felt really good,” Ocasio said. “I feel like I didn’t even have my best day on the mound, but we played really good defense and got some good plays, some double plays. It also felt good on the flip side, just staying competitive in the box.
“We had competitive at-bats throughout the game. In that moment, I wasn’t going to let her get me out again, because the at-bat before that, she froze me. So I just wanted to stay through the ball and stay competitive in my at-bat.”
Then, Aubrey Leach followed with a two-RBI single to make it 3-1. That time, the ball found its way to some grass for big results.
“Just sticking to our process as a team,” Leach said. “Third time through the lineup, seeing a really good pitcher on the mound, just trying to make adjustments every time you’re up there. Found a good one and put a good swing on it.”
After Maxwell put Ana Gold on via a hit by pitch, Mariah Mazon took the circle for the Cascade. She ended the inning on a Laird flyout to left field.
After four innings pitched, the Blaze went to Keilani Ricketts in relief. Sis Bates jumped on with a single, but Ricketts got out of the inning clean. That led to the insurance run by Netz’s solo shot off Mazon to put the Blaze up 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth.
Ricketts went right back to work in the sixth inning and struck out two on her way to a retired side in order. She returned in the seventh and shut the door on the Cascade to seal the game one win.
Afterward, coach Dill spoke on the veteran pitching staff that paired for this result. Ocasio set the tone for the day and turned it over to Ricketts, who finished the job.
“She’s [Ocasio] been in a couple of pro seasons, so she set the tone really well for us,” Dill said. “And Keilani is just an opposite look coming from the left side specifically, who’s been in every moment you can think of in the game of softball, and she just commands out there.
“Her presence is big. She’s very calm. Whether there are runners in scoring position or nobody on, you can’t really tell looking at her. They’re a great combination, sort of opposite spin profiles in what they do, and as you saw today, it keeps hitters off balance, which is what we’re trying to do on the staff.”
The Cascade finished the day with one run scored on four hits. They struck out five times, hit 1-for-11 with runners on and were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. When it came down to it, the Blaze made the plays when it mattered and pulled out the win.
Carolina and Portland return on Wednesday at 8 p.m. EDT. You can catch the action on ESPN 2. The probable pitching matchup is set for Karlyn Pickens vs. Sam Landry.
Featured Image Credit: AUSL
