Jailyn Ford threw her first complete game of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) season Tuesday, guiding the OKC Spark past the Texas Volts 7-2. Ford struck out eight, walked three, and surrendered just two extra-base hits across the AUSL game's seven innings.
OKC Spark Offense Powers Past Texas Volts Roster
OKC's offense set the tone early.
Sydney Romero doubled to right center in the first, driving in Maya Brady for a 1-0 lead. The Volts answered in the third, but the Spark responded immediately. A throwing error in the fourth opened the door for two runs. Brady followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Sarah Gordon.
From there, the lead only grew. Amari Harper launched a solo homerun in the fifth, then Sydney McKinney singled home Sydney Sherrill to push the advantage to 7-1.
Jackie Lis homered late for the Texas Volts roster's lone bright spot, but the deficit proved too much.
Looking Ahead in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League Standings
The win moves the Spark to 10-11 with two straight victories as they chase a late-season climb in the AUSL scores and standings. The Volts drop to 6-16.
These teams close their two-game series Wednesday at 8 PM ET on ESPNU.
The Utah Talons are playoff-bound. The defending champions clinched the first postseason berth of the 2026 AUSL softball season on Saturday, climbing the AUSL standings by rallying past the Oklahoma City Spark 5-4 in a seventh-inning comeback.
How the Utah Talons Locked Up Their 2026 AUSL Playoff Spot
Utah trailed 3-2 heading into the final frame. Then Jadelyn Allchin connected on a solo home run to tie it. With two outs, Sharlize Palacios followed with a two-run shot off Maya Johnson, pushing the Talons ahead 5-3.
Oklahoma City answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh, but Megan Faraimo closed things out, finishing with 10 strikeouts in a complete-game effort.
Staying on Top of the AUSL Standings
Now the focus shifts to the AUSL standings.
The No. 1 seed earns an automatic berth in the AUSL Championship at Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas, while the second- and third-place teams meet in the Play-In Game.
Utah (14-6) holds a one-game edge over the Chicago Bandits (13-7), who have won nine straight. The Portland Cascade (11-9) sit three games back.
With a roster that includes Montana Fouts and a lineup built for the postseason, the Talons have the depth to chase more than just a playoff spot.
Sydney Sherrill lined a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the seventh inning, lifting the Oklahoma City Spark to a 4-3 comeback win over the Talons on Thursday to shake up the AUSL softball standings.
Sherrill, Brady, and Spark Turn the Tide Against the Talons in AUSL Thriller
Utah started strong, building a 3-1 lead through four innings at Tom Heath Field. Jadelyn Allchin opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first before Hannah Flippen added another in the third. Sharlize Palacios later extended the gap with an RBI single in the fourth.
Maya Brady's solo home run pushed Oklahoma City within reach, but the Spark still trailed by two heading into the fifth.
Then, Sydney Romero launched a two-run home run toward left-center, scoring Brady — who reached on an error — to tie the game at 3-3. It was Romero's sixth bomb of the season.
In the seventh, Delanie Wisz subsequently singled with one out to set the stage. Sherrill followed with a double to center field, driving Wisz home for the winning run.
OKC Spark, Talons Shake Up AUSL Softball Standings
The victory marks Oklahoma City's third in its last four games, a stretch that could shift the AUSL softball standings down the line.
The series continues Saturday night. Fan can check the Athletes Unlimited softball schedule for broadcast times and more game information.
The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) threw its very first pitch this weekend, as the four-team pro league ushers in a new era of US softball.
Saturday saw the inaugural season kick off in two sold-out stadiums, as the Bandits recorded the league's first-ever win by defeating the Talons 3-1 in Rosemont, Illinois, before the Volts capped opening day with a 5-1 extra-inning victory over the Blaze in Wichita, Kansas.
"To be able to run for those who walked for us is just incredible, and I'm really excited to be a part of it," said Volts outfielder McKenzie Clark following their historic opening win, acknowledging the sport's trailblazers who fought for and built AUSL from the ground up.
The Volts currently sit atop the AUSL standings with a 2-1 record, followed by a second-place tie between the Talons and Bandits at 1-1. The Blaze narrowly trail with a 1-2 tally.
The traveling seven-week inaugural season will see each team contest 24 games across 10 cities to determine the top two squads who will compete in a best-of-three championship series in late July.
With rosters full of former collegiate standouts, NCAA softball fans will have plenty of favorites to root for, as rookies like Talons infielder and 2025 Collegiate Player of the Year Bri Ellis (Arkansas), Volts catcher Michaela Edenfield (Florida State), Blaze pitcher Emma Lemley (Virginia Tech), and Volts pitcher Sam Landry (Oklahoma) make their professional debuts.
"I was like, 'I was born ready. Give me the ball,'" Landry — the No. 1 overall pick in the first-ever AUSL College Draft — told her coaches prior to starting in the circle in Monday's 3-1 Volts loss to the Blaze.
How to watch the AUSL this season
AUSL is back in action on Tuesday night, with the Talons and Bandits closing out their three-game opening series at 8 PM ET. Live coverage of the game will air on ESPN2.
Teams will then hit the road for their next locales, with the Volts kicking off a series against the Bandits in Sulphur, Louisiana, at 7 PM ET on Thursday, airing live on ESPN2.
Meanwhile, the Talons and Blaze will be en route to Chattanooga, Tennessee, with their series first matchup taking the field at 6:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on MLB.com.