The Athletes Unlimited Softball League is stacked with elite competition, and Thursday night in Oklahoma City showcased just how tough it is. The Spark defeated the first-place Utah Talons 4-3 on a Sydney Sherrill walk-off RBI double to score Delanie Wisz. They became just the second team to score a seventh-inning run on Utah this season.
“Great win against a really, really, really good team,” Spark head coach Amber Flores said. “Obviously it speaks for itself, but I thought Maya Johnson threw really, really good, gave us every opportunity to win. Ford, to come in and close the door in the top of the 7th, and then give us a chance in the bottom of the 7th to win. It was huge.
“Sydney Sherrill, coming up clutch, but overall, just an incredibly well-played game. Really proud of our fight tonight and our resiliency and looking forward to Saturday. With two great ball clubs going at it. It’s fun to be on the field, fun to be a part of it.”
That win brought the Spark within a half-game of the Carolina Blaze, who are in fourth place in the AUSL standings, heading into Friday. The Spark appears to be a team with the capability to make a late push, and Thursday showed how bad they want to finish strong.
Oklahoma City battled against Georgina Corrick, who went the distance. Corrick gave up four runs on eight hits and struck out four and walked three on 134 pitches. It wasn’t her best by any means, but it was a solid outing.
“Corrick threw well enough to win,” Talons head coach Cindy Ball-Malone said. “Was it her best game? I mean, maybe a B, right? But I’ll take her B against anybody because she’s just that good.”
Both Maya Brady and Sydney Romero left the yard. Romero tied the game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Oklahoma City was able to capitalize on a few balls from Corrick. They also put together some solid plate appearances and made her work for it. In the bottom of the fourth, Corrick and the Talons escaped a bases-loaded jam with one out, which was a huge moment in the game.
As for the Spark in the circle, Maya Johnson went a solid 6.1 innings. She gave up three runs on five hits, surrendering two solo home runs to Jadelyn Allchin and Hannah Flippen. Sharlize Palacios drove in the last run with an RBI single in the fourth inning to bring home Jordan Woolery. Other than those solo shots, it was a good night.
“I think Maya’s been really good all year,” Flores said. “Every time she’s out there, she gives us an opportunity to win, really. She’s tough. She’s got really good stuff. We felt good about how she was working through the lineup, and we’ve been going shorter, quicker leashes, but tonight was a night where we really wanted to stick with her.
“We felt good about it from the jump, and she did a good job. Two times through the lineup, and that’s usually when we get ready, but we felt good about it, and we were really happy that we stuck with her, obviously. Pulled her at the perfect time, but overall, she was just incredible tonight.”
Johnson went into the seventh inning and turned it over when Jailyn Ford came in with a runner on second and one out. Ford left Sahvanna Jaquish stranded and turned the game back to the offense for the win.
