The Utah Talons opened the defense of their 2025 Athletes Unlimited Softball League Championship with a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Bandits on Tuesday night at Dumke Family Softball Stadium, establishing an electrifying standard and exciting traditions for their new home crowd.
Bri Ellis powered the offense with a home run, double and three RBIs, while Montana Fouts tossed a complete game in front of a packed crowd for Utah’s inaugural home opener in Salt Lake City.
Here are five takeaways from the Opening Day matchup.
Bri Ellis Delivers the Game-Changing Swing
The Talons found themselves trailing 2-0 after the first inning before Ellis responded in the bottom of the second frame.
With Caroline Jacobsen on base, Ellis launched a 266-foot home run to center field for the first home run of the Talons’ season and the second of her professional career, tying the game at 2-2.
Her statement game at the plate didn’t end there. Ellis added an RBI double in the fourth inning that brought home Jadelyn Allchin and extended Utah’s lead. The first baseman finished 2-for-3 with a home run, double and three RBIs while recording the first multi-hit game of her AUSL career.
Montana Fouts Settles In After a Shaky Start
Chicago put immediate pressure on Fouts, scoring twice in the first inning and collecting five hits the first time through the lineup.
From there, the former Alabama standout shut out the visiting Bandits.
Fouts allowed just three hits over the final six innings and escaped a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the fourth inning after three consecutive infield fielder’s choices. She also delivered one of the night’s most memorable defensive plays when she snagged a line drive straight back through the circle off the bat of Morgan Zerkle.
The complete-game effort marked Fouts’ first AUSL regular-season complete game and came less than a year after she threw a complete-game shutout to clinch the 2025 AUSL Championship versus Chicago.
Salt Lake City Embraces Professional Softball
Opening Day also marked the beginning of a new era for professional softball in Utah.
Fans packed Dumke Family Softball Stadium and quickly introduced a new tradition, raising their hands like talons while chanting “U-Caw” and “Caw, Caw, Caw” to lead up to a strikeout whenever Fouts reached a two-strike count.
First-year head coach Cindy Ball-Malone proposed the new chants herself at a fan event ahead of opening day, and praised the fans for their support after the win.
“First I got to give it to our fans, just awesome,” Ball-Malone said. “We asked for some traditions to be created, and the response was amazing…We’re playing for more than just ourselves, more than just our teammates; we’re playing for this community as well.”
The night also featured ESPN reporter and Utah native Holly Rowe throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before Utah secured the first home victory in franchise history.
Bandits Rookies Make Their Professional Debuts
Despite the loss, Chicago saw encouraging contributions from several members of the 2026 draft class in their professional debuts.
Former Stanford infielder Taryn Kern recorded her first professional hit and RBI in the opening inning, driving a two-out double to center field. The extra-base hit scored Morgan Zerkle and gave Chicago an early 2-0 advantage.
Ailana Agbayani started at second base in her AUSL debut, while Jocelyn Erickson made her first professional appearance as the designated player. Elon Butler also entered as a pinch hitter.
Bandits head coach Shonda Stanton, who coached Kern during her 2023 season at Indiana, reflected on the milestone afterward.
“She got history tonight, her first hit in the pro league, and that’s pretty cool,” Stanton said. “First of many is what I told her.”
Familiar Faces Lead the Way for Chicago
While Utah ultimately came away with the victory, several veteran Bandits provided bright spots offensively.
Morgan Zerkle collected Chicago’s first hit of the 2026 season in the first inning before later scoring the team’s first run. Reigning AUSL MVP Erin Coffel picked up right where she left off in 2025, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Amber Fiser made her first Athletes Unlimited appearance since the 2021 Championship Season, allowing three earned runs over four innings in the start. Odicci Alexander-Bennett followed with two innings of relief and did not allow an earned run.
The two teams continue their three-game series on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City at 10 p.m. ET. Tickets are available now.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
