OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma - The Oklahoma City Spark continued their dominance in the Royal Spark Challenge, defending their trophy against the Great Britain Senior Women's National Team in a two-game series held at The Softball Capital of the World. This year's matchup saw the Spark winning both games, just as they did during last year's inaugural series in London.
Game 1:
Amber Fiser took the mound for the Spark, facing Great Britain’s Georgina Corrick. The game began quietly with no runs in the first inning. However, in the bottom of the second, Riley Ludlam hit a line drive double to left field, followed by Yvonne Whaley’s single to bring Ludlam home.
Fiser's strong pitching continued with a perfect fourth inning, and the Spark capitalized on that momentum. Chloe Malau'ulu’s triple and Whaley’s single brought Chloe across the plate, extending the lead to two. Fiser ended her night with four strikeouts, and Maddie Penta closed the game with back-to-back strikeouts in the sixth. The final score was 2-0.
Game 2:
Great Britain's Paytn Monticelli - a current National Champion at the University of Oklahoma - started on the mound, while Keilani Ricketts pitched for the Spark. The Spark scored two runs in the first inning, led by Rylie Boone’s leadoff bunt and Haley Lee's line drive to center, which brought Boone home. Sydney Sherrill also contributed with an RBI. Great Britain responded in the second inning with a single from Jenna Thompson, scoring Alana Snow.
Ricketts delivered a strong performance, aided by a 4-6-3 double play from Alynah Torres and Rachel Becker. The Spark extended their lead in the third when Boone’s hit turned into an inside-the-park home run due to an error, followed by a solo home run from Haley Lee. Alex Storako debuted in the fifth inning with two strikeouts, and Keely Rochard closed the game in the seventh, securing a 4-1 victory.
The Spark now hold a season record of 5-1 and will face Team USA on Saturday and Sunday, where Spark teammates Jayda Coleman and Dejah Mulipola will represent their country and play against their own team.