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Lemley shines in Rookie Duel, Blaze best Volts for first win

Screenshot 2025-02-05 152517by:Cooper Taylor•06/09/25
Screenshot 2025-06-09 at 7.01.52 PM
Photo courtesy of Mary Kay Ridgway / AUSL

A pair of rookies earned their first career starts on Monday. Sam Landry, the former Oklahoma Sooner, and Emma Lemley, the Virginia Tech alum, were all set for battle in prime time. The Blaze came away with a 3-1 win in the debut duel.

“This team has a lot of fight, we just needed to find it,” Lemley said. “We have been trying to find what this team is about, we just needed to find that fire. And we found it today. Everything was very clean.”

Both Lemley and Landry worked clean first and second innings. Landry took some insurance into the bottom of the third, though. Tiare Jennings homered to left field with two outs to put the Volts on the board 1-0. Landry continued to roll in the home third, retiring all nine batters the first time through the order.

However, the Blaze grabbed the lead in the fourth for good. Aubrey Leach broke up the perfect game with a bunt single. Kayla Kowalik was then hit by a pitch, and Baylee Klinger notched an infield single to load the bases with no outs.

Danielle Gibson-Whorton tied the game, reaching on an error from Danieca Coffey. Taylor Edwards drove in the second run of the inning on a fielder’s choice, handing the Blaze a 2-1 lead after four innings.

Following the big fourth inning, Lemley recorded the shutdown fifth to preserve a one-run lead.

A leadoff single from Ana Gold chased Landry from the game, ending the rookie’s debut after 4.1 innings of work. Rachel Garcia came on in relief of Landry. The Volts worked around Leach’s second single and a play at the plate to hold the Blaze lead to 2-1. Keilani Ricketts then relieved Lemley in the away sixth.

Allowing a leadoff single to Amanda Lorenz, Ricketts bounced back with strikeouts of Jennings and Garcia to end the top of the sixth. The Blaze also added some insurance in the home half. A leadoff single from Gibson-Whorton scored from second after Anissa Urtez delivered a clutch two-out RBI single.

The Volts trailed 3-1 entering the seventh, down to their final three outs. Ricketts slammed the door shut for the Blaze, though. The veteran left-hander retired the Volts’ side in order to give the Blaze its first win.

Lemley earned the win and tossed five innings of one-run ball before Ricketts notched her first save, pitching two scoreless innings in relief. Landry gets the loss in her first career start.

AUSL Standings

Volts 2-1
Bandits 1-1
Talons 1-1
Blaze 1-2

The Talons and Bandits close out their series on Tuesday in Rosemont at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

For transfer portal news, stay up to date with the Softball America transfer wire and the Dugout, our discussion board for members.

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