The 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League postseason field was supposed to be finalized Monday night, but weather got in the way.
Monday’s game between the Oklahoma City Spark and Carolina Blaze at Smith Family Stadium in Durham, N.C., was suspended due to weather and was resumed at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday on ESPN2. The Blaze held an 8-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when the game was paused, and it didn't take long for Carolina to put the game away, closing out an 11-1 run-rule victory after five innings.
ATHLETES UNLIMITED SOFTBALL LEAGUE
The contest was a crucial one, as it determined the AUSL’s third and final playoff spot. With the Blaze's victory, the Spark (13-12) were eliminated from postseason contention, and the Portland Cascade (14-11) earned a berth in Thursday's Play-In Game against the Chicago Bandits (9 p.m. ET on ESPN). The winner of that game advances to meet the Utah Talons in the best-of-three AUSL Championship. Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on ABC.
The Blaze benefited from a massive first inning on Monday before the rain. Right fielder Val Cagle socked a line-drive three-run homer, and center fielder Reese Atwood had four RBIs, including a bases-clearing double. Once play resumed Tuesday, Aubrey Leach ripped a bases-loaded triple to put any thoughts of a Spark comeback to bed.
The Utah Talons, the reigning AUSL champions, earned the No. 1 seed in the playoffs when they defeated the Chicago Bandits on Sunday, 3-1, in a matchup between the top two teams in the league.
A win for either squad would have meant the top seed in the playoffs, but Utah earned that spot thanks in part to Jordan Woolery's tiebreaking squeeze bunt in the sixth inning.