Dumke Family Sotball Stadium, SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Bri Ellis delivered the game’s only run with a clutch RBI triple and the Utah Talons made it stand up behind a dominant pitching performance, defeating the Chicago Bandits 1-0 on Wednesday night for the AUSL defending champions at Dumke Family Softball Stadium.
The victory gave the Talons a 2-0 start to the 2026 season and continued their recent success against Chicago in a rematch of last year’s championship series.
Locked in a scoreless duel through the early innings, Utah finally broke through when Ellis drove a ball into the gap for a run-scoring triple. The extra-base hit proved to be all the offense the Talons would need as Utah’s pitching staff and defense took over from there.
Ellis finished as the offensive star of the night, accounting for the game’s only RBI while continuing the strong start she showed in the season-opening series. After powering Utah’s offense in the opener, the slugger once again delivered in a key moment when the Talons needed it most.
The Talons’ starting pitcher Sarah Willis, set the tone from the circle, keeping Chicago’s lineup off balance throughout the evening. Working efficiently and consistently ahead in the count, she limited scoring opportunities and allowed Utah’s defense to play clean behind her.
Chicago threatened at times but could not find the timely hit needed to break through. The Bandits, who scored twice in the opening inning of Tuesday’s season opener, were held scoreless for a second straight game as Utah’s pitching staff continued to control the series.
The low-scoring contest was a sharp contrast to the five-run output the Talons produced in their season-opening victory one night earlier. This time, Utah relied on pitching, defense and a single swing from Ellis to secure the win.
With the victory, the Talons improved to 2-0 and moved one game away from a sweep of the opening series. Chicago fell to 0-2 and entered the finale still searching for its first win of the season.
The teams were scheduled to conclude the three-game series Thursday night at Dumke Family Softball Stadium.
Tags: Athletes Unlimited Softball League, AUSL, Chicago Bandits, softball, Utah Talons