Back-to-back HRs -- including a slam! -- highlight thrilling AUSL Opening Day

The second season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) kicked off with an entertaining tripleheader on Tuesday.

And for some, it was even historic.

Here's a look at the top moments from each game.

Spark 13, Volts 5

How about back-to-back home runs -- including a grand slam -- to punctuate your first ever AUSL game?

That’s what the Spark pulled off in its 13-5 victory over the Volts.

Maya Brady -- a three-time First-Team All-American at UCLA and the niece of Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady -- launched a grand slam to straight away center field in the second inning. Brady’s blast accounted for the first runs for the Spark franchise in an AUSL game, as the club was an independent team before joining the AUSL in the offseason.

The grand slam marked quite the first impression for Brady, who was a first-round pick in the expansion draft after playing last season for the Talons.

Then, with celebrations still ongoing in the dugout, Sydney Romero tattooed a no-doubt shot to left field, making it back-to-back long balls.

Jessi Warren and Delanie Wisz each added a home run later in the game to continue the fireworks.

Talons 5, Bandits 2

The Talons began the new season the same way they ended the last one: by defeating the Bandits.

In a rematch of last year’s AUSL championship, the Talons once again showed their mettle in the three-run win.

Bri Ellis supplied the majority of the offense for Utah. She clubbed a two-run homer to tie the game in the second inning, and then later added an RBI double to pad the lead in the fourth.

In the circle, Montana Fouts hurled a complete game while scattering just two runs.

Blaze 4, Cascade 1

Sis Bates is a legend in the Pacific Northwest. It’s only fitting, then, that the former University of Washington standout delivered the first hit in franchise history for the Portland Cascade.

The Cascade -- one of two expansion teams in the AUSL -- began their maiden voyage with a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Blaze. But Bates still provided a memorable moment.

She notched the first hit in Cascade franchise history, serving a base knock down the left-field line in the third inning. Later that frame, Bates came around to score the franchise’s first ever run on a double from Kendra Falby -- briefly giving the Cascade a 1-0 lead.

Bates starred during her collegiate career with the Huskies, winning three consecutive Softball America Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2019-21. After playing 20 games for the Volts last year, she joined the Cascade via the expansion draft. And, at her introductory press conference in January, she noted that she felt like the “luckiest human that’s ever existed.”

Those emotions certainly aren’t going away any time soon.