Bandits Respond with Statement Win as Sydney McKinney Claims Batting Title Ahead of Championship Series
McKinney Shines as Bandits Regain Momentum Before Tuscaloosa
Tonight the Bandits closed out the regular season in Rosemont, Illinois as they responded to last night’s loss to the Blaze with a 5-1 win.
The Bandits took tonight and got back on the right side of things with great pitching and solid offensive efforts. Going into the Championship Series, one question that has been on my mind is how the pitching staff will perform?
It still remains to be seen, but after Tuesday night’s ambush by the Blaze, the Bandits were well polished in the finale. Three pitchers entered the circle, as Emiley Kennedy, Lexi Kilfoyl, and Taylor McQuillin all combined for one run allowed on seven hits.
“I thought our pitchers were outstanding today. Did a really nice job commanding the strike zone,” said Stacey Nuveman Deniz.
That will get it done every day of the week, and so will the hot offense that the Bandits have been accustomed to displaying.
Coach Nuveman Deniz had talked last week about the team getting their groove back and continuously working to improve before the Championship Series. Tonight, she likes where this team is at.
“I just like where we are in terms of the whole team, and the confidence heading into Tuscaloosa and the postseason,” Nuveman Deniz said.
AUSL Hitter of the Year, Erin Coffel, had another productive night, going 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored. Coffel has been hot all season at the plate, with numbers that haven’t seemed real at times.
Tonight, Sydney McKinney stole the show. McKinney had a fantastic night at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, and three runs scored. Not only did McKinney help lead the Bandits to a 5-1 win, but she also captured the first AUSL Batting Title with a .486 batting average.
McKinney talked postgame about the tone coming into tonight and wanting to shift the energy from the night before.
“I think the general tone today was that we need to go out with a bang. We got hit a little bit last night, and we just needed to come out and have a good game to have some positive vibes going into the championship.”
The Bandits and Talons split the regular season series at four games apiece, and neither team won two in a row against the other. Bandits’ beat writer Bruce Miles asked McKinney how she felt heading into the matchup.
“I feel great. The Talons are obviously going to give us a great fight, but we’re ready for it. We are prepared for them. Our coaches have us really well prepared. Our practices have been really hard all year, so once you get into the game, it’s just like an instinct to get the job done. So I think we’re excited and we’re prepared.”
We will see everything play out in Tuscaloosa, Alabama beginning Saturday. Both teams will be ready and they have seen each other eight times already, so there isn’t much newness left to the matchup.
Be prepared to see two great groups of professional softball players leaving it all out on the field for the inaugural AUSL Championship.
Saturday, July 26 vs. Talons (AUSL Championship Game #1) | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT | ESPN
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