If you were a fly on the wall in the clubhouse for the Utah Talons of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, you’d have heard a lot of chatter about writing a book. Throughout the two months of the professional softball league’s season, that’s exactly what they were doing: developing chapters of this Utah team’s story to build up to what every writer hopes for, a happy ending.

The league’s defending champions did just that on Sunday at Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas, sweeping the Chicago Bandits in a best-of-three series to capture their second straight title. So far in the two-year existence of the young league, which is backed by MLB and led by commissioner Kim Ng, the Talons have cemented an early legacy as a dynasty. In that case, they’re not just writing a story with a happy ending — they’re adding to softball’s history books.

After the 2-1 win Saturday over the Bandits, whom the Talons also faced in last year’s championship victory, 2026 Pitcher of the Year and league strikeout leader Montana Fouts fanned four batters in a 6-1 complete-game clincher on Sunday.

Fouts, though, popularly known amongst her teammates and coaches for being “real” and always holding herself to a high standard, thought she still had more to give.

“I’m very mad I walked the lead-off in the seventh inning, very mad at myself for that,” Fouts said after the game. “I was in the dugout trying to hype myself up because it did not feel great today, and all I could do was turn around and think about everybody in the field. I have genuine love for them, and today, I just looked at each one of them, and it was for them … locking in a little bit more on locations in the middle of the game helped set the tone.”

Last year, Fouts won a pitchers’ duel, as the matchup was scoreless until former Talon and current Oklahoma City Spark star Sydney Romero hit the decisive solo homer in the sixth inning. This time around wasn’t as strenuous thanks to some run support.

“We came out and we hit today, that’s the difference between this year and last year,” said Comeback Player of the Year Bri Ellis. “I feel like whenever we’re playing the Bandits, it’s always a pitchers’ duel and just trying to get the monkey off our pitcher’s back and give them a break.”

She then turned directly to Fouts, saying: “But we came out and hit today for you. Because how many games did you have us on your back? It was about time for us to pick up and show up for her.”

Once Jadelyn Allchin, a former UCLA standout and Utah’s regular-season leader in hits (26), runs (19) and RBIs (17), launched a two-run homer to right just 11 pitches into Game 2, the Talons never looked back. Two more runs were tacked on in the fourth after veteran Hannah Flippen scored from second on a throwing error before Allchin, who was named AUSL Championship Most Valuable Player, tacked on another RBI with a double.

“She’s the perfect combination of a little bit of goofiness, a little bit of fun, and serious business,” coach Cindy Ball-Malone said of Allchin. “She’s going to give it her all every single day, and she’s not going to leave any page unturned. She sticks to herself, she knows what she can do. She uses the entire field, and she lays it out there.”

Ellis essentially sealed the deal in the fifth with a solo shot that soared over the Texas A&M stadium’s massive scoreboard, rounding out an impressive sophomore season that saw her return to her former Arkansas-like form after a difficult rookie season.

“I think the difference between last year and this year, bouncing back from injury, is just her love for softball has really carried her through,” said Fouts before the championship series. “She has really stepped into who she is and who we all know that she has been. There was never a doubt in my mind.”

Sahvannah Jaquish capped the Talons’ scoring — and what has been a red-hot July for the veteran — with a 253-foot homer in the sixth.

The Bandits put together a rally in the bottom of the seventh, spoiling Fouts’ shutout performance as Skylar Wallace laced an RBI single into left to bring home Keirstin Roose. That was all Chicago could muster, however.

Though the Bandits were the AUSL’s top offensive team throughout the regular season, leading the league in average (.304), OBP (.394), hits (221) and RBIs (137), among other categories, they were held to just 12 hits — none of which were of the extra-base variety — in the two games. Chicago also tallied just one walk in the two-game set. Hitter of the Year Sami Williams’ bat was silenced at the hands of the Talons’ aces — Georgina Corrick also tossed a complete-game gem in Game 1 — going hitless in Chicago’s revenge effort.

“I know the first time I met all of them on a call in March, I asked them what their mission was, and they said to repeat,” said Ball-Malone, who took over as Talons coach before this season. “Now, all I’ll say is: job well done. So incredibly proud of them, and I’m pinching myself with this opportunity.”

“We have the best group of women in our locker room, and I think what helped us win last year and what helped us win this year is it was never the same person getting the job done,” said Flippen. “Our pitching staff is just so elite and not only carries us through games but in the way that they lead as well. It was a fun year, and can’t wait to do it again next year.”

While the traditional aspect of the AUSL season has come to a close with the Talons once again on top, the league’s All-Star Cup will take place from Aug. 8-30 at the Bandits’ home stadium in Rosemont, Ill. The Cup features teams of the league’s top performers from the regular season, who then compete in series with captains based on a point-system leaderboard.

The champion Talons will be represented by Fouts, Allchin, Corrick, Ellis, Flippen, Jayda Coleman, Sharlize Palacios and Jordan Woolery in the All-Star Cup.

Throughout the regular season, the AUSL averaged 198,000 viewers, up 183 percent vs. this time last year. The Championship Series not only saw sellout crowds, but Game 1 was also the first professional softball game to air on broadcast television (ABC). With softball seeing continued audience growth during the Women’s College World Series, college regular season and now the AUSL, expectations are rising as the sport will make its return to the Olympics at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

“It’s so awesome to see these communities come together and support women’s sports and having young fans in the stands that can dream of being professional softball players and play in an environment that gets rowdy and loud,” said Flippen. “I’m so excited for what next year is going to look like, and the next 10 years.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.