The Utah Talons have won seven straight games to surge into first place in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, and pitcher Montana Fouts has been a big reason why.
ATHLETES UNLIMITED SOFTBALL LEAGUE
Fouts continued her standout season on Friday, tossing a four-hit shutout of the Carolina Blaze on Friday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C.
Eight days after striking out 12 against the Texas Volts to set an AUSL single-game record for K’s, Fouts struck out six hitters in the Talons’ 3-0 win.
Utah gave Fouts a quick lead, plating two runs on a sacrifice fly and throwing error in the top of the first before Sarah Gordon’s RBI double in the fourth.
The former University of Alabama star was dominant in the circle, retiring the first six batters before allowing a leadoff single in the third. Fouts rebounded to strike out Aleshia Ocasio and Aubrey Leach to end the frame.
After stranding two more runners in the fourth inning, Fouts had to do things herself to close out the sixth when the Blaze’s Dakota Kennedy tapped a two-out grounder to the right of the mound. Fouts charged the ball, made a barehanded play and fired to first in time.
An inning later, Fouts closed out the shutout with a strikeout of Alyssa Brito. It was her fifth complete game of the season, and she picked up her fifth win -- both tops in the AUSL. Her outing was the sixth complete-game shutout in AUSL history.