The Utah Talons (14-6) became the first team to secure a postseason berth in the 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League season after defeating the Oklahoma City Spark, 5-4, on Saturday evening.
The defending AUSL Champions trailed 3-2 entering the seventh inning until Jadelyn Allchin hit her fourth home run of the season to tie the game. It was the first run surrendered by Spark pitcher Jailyn Ford, who had held the Talons scoreless since entering the game in the fourth inning.
With two outs, Sharlize Palacios followed with a two-run blast off Maya Johnson to give Utah a 5-3 lead.
The Spark’s comeback fell short in the bottom of the seventh. Sydney McKinney doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly, but Megan Faraimo struck out Amari Harper for her 10th strikeout in the complete-game effort.
Utah now shifts its focus to protecting its No. 1 spot in the standings. The top team earns an automatic bid to the AUSL Championship at Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas, while the second- and third-place teams will face off in the AUSL Play-In Game to advance.
The Talons hold a one-game lead over the Chicago Bandits (13-7), who extended their win streak to nine games on Saturday, and a three-game lead over the third-place Portland Cascade (11-9).
