Monstrous home run from Grant headlines Day 2 AUSL action

On the heels of a thrilling Opening Day, the second season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League continues to deliver marquee moments.

The second day of the season included an iconic first home run and a highly-anticipated showdown in the circle.

Here’s a recap of the top moments from Day 2 of the AUSL season.

Blaze 11, Cascade 2 (5 innings)

The middle game on Wednesday featured a highly-anticipated pitching matchup between Sam Landry and Karlyn Pickens.

But Megan Grant made a bid to steal the headlines with some serious pop.

Grant -- who set the Big Ten single-season record with 26 home runs last year at UCLA -- launched a tape-measure shot in the third inning. Her first professional home run all but disappeared way out beyond the right-field fence, hitting the top of a building amid a crowd of trees.

Grant wasn’t the only player to get off to a roaring start to her professional career.

Pickens, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 AUSL Draft, outshined Landry by allowing just two runs over five innings in the run-rule victory. Pickens and Landry were facing off for the first time since the 2025 Women’s College World Series, when Landry and Oklahoma defeated Pickens and Tennessee, 4-3. Landry earned the win via a complete game in the Sooners’ walk-off victory, as OU scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to stun the Volunteers.

This time, Pickens got the upper-hand.

Volts 8, Spark 5

On Opening Day, the Spark used back-to-back home runs -- including an emphatic grand slam from Maya Brady -- to down the Volts and earn the franchise’s first AUSL victory.

A day later, the Volts gave the Spark some of their own medicine.

Aminah Vega opened the scoring with a three-run shot in the top of the third inning. The left-handed slugger clubbed her home run to dead center field.

Then, one batter later, Tiare Jennings joined the party. She launched a home run that tucked inside the left-field foul pole, the second of back-to-back homers.

For Jennings, it’s her second home run in as many games, following a grand slam in the opener on Tuesday. The second-year pro bashed five home runs last year for the Volts in the inaugural AUSL season. It’s early, but she’s in a good spot to blow by that mark this year.

Talons 1, Blaze 0

A pitchers' duel unfolded in the final matchup of the day.

Sarah Willis and Megan Faraimo combined to pitch seven shutout frames, with Faraimo recording the key outs to keep the Blaze off the board. With one out and runners on second and third base in the sixth inning, Faraimo notched back-to-back strikeouts -- retiring the side with a roar.

It's more of the same for the Talons in their head-to-head matchups against the Bandits. They've won five straight games against the Bandits, including the 2026 season opener and a two-game sweep of the 2025 AUSL championship.