3-sport star canine and extra-innings thriller kick off epic Signature Series for AUSL
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The AUSL turned one very good doggo into a three-sport star on Thursday. And no, we’re not talking about Air Bud.
We’re talking about the multi-talented Champ, who served as the bat dog on Thursday during the first game of the AUSL’s Signature Series, an absolute thriller between the Utah Talons and Carolina Blaze. The Talons and Blaze played at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, with two more games slated there on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
Champ, a 3-year-old labrador retriever, is already the official bat dog of the Bulls, the Tampa Bay Rays’ Triple-A affiliate. He also serves as the kicking tee retriever for NC State football. The crowd absolutely loved Champ’s first appearance on Thursday.
The game delivered several other impressive moments, including a nifty double play started by Blaze shortstop Alyssa Brito -- all while she was doing an in-game interview with the ESPN broadcast crew.
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Brito, who was discussing her exploits as the team’s unofficial source for coffee every morning, provided quite a jolt of energy in the fourth inning of a 1-1 game. She charged a bouncing grounder and delivered an off-balance throw to second, and Jenna Laird made the quick turn for two.
“Come on! Let’s Go! I love that!” Brito exclaimed after the play. And then she went right back to the coffee talk, inviting the game’s broadcaster to join the daily routine.
“Gosh, I love making coffee for my friends,” Brito said. “And you guys pull up, I brought my machine to this field, actually.”
“I love making coffee for these girls. It’s so fun,” Brito added. “It gives me a way to connect with them, to love on them, to love on my coaches.”
The game as a whole delivered the goods, too. The Talons and Blaze battled in a 1-1 deadlock through regulation, with pitchers Georgina Corrick (Utah) and Karlyn Pickens (Carolina) each finishing the first seven innings of the game.
In the top of the eighth, Utah finally broke through against Pickens. Jordan Woolery smacked an RBI single to take the lead. Sarah Gordon later added a one-out single off of Keilani Ricketts, scoring what proved to be a necessary insurance run.
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Corrick returned to the circle in hopes of earning the extra-innings complete game in her first start of the season. She issued a wild pitch that pushed the automatic runner to third base, and Reese Atwood scored the run with a one-out single, making it a one-run affair.
Corrick induced a popout but then loaded the bases with another single and a hit by pitch. Utah closed it out despite the nervous moments, with Aleshia Ocasio grounding into a game-ending fielder’s choice.
The 3-2 win marked the sixth in a row for the reigning champion Talons, as they remain atop the AUSL standings with a 9-3 record.
But if Thursday was any indication, you can expect plenty more excitement when Game 2 of the Signature Series gets underway Friday.