Agbayani Walk-Off Sends Bandits Past Cascade in 11 Innings, Longest Game in AUSL History

The Chicago Bandits reached the AUSL Championship Series for the second straight year Thursday night, beating the Portland Cascade 6-5 in 11 innings at Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas. It was the longest game in league history.

Ailana Agbayani ended it with two outs in the bottom of the 11th, lining a single down the first-base line to score Taryn Kern. Kern had tied the game two batters earlier with an RBI double. Both are rookies from the 2026 College Draft class.

Portland builds an early lead

The Cascade scored twice in the first inning. Sydney Stewart doubled home Sierra Sacco-Ferrie, and Kenleigh Cahalan followed with an RBI single. Tori Vidales made it 3-0 in the fourth with a two-out single that scored Stewart.

Portland starter Carley Hoover held Chicago without a hit through four innings. The Bandits tied it in the fifth. Skylar Wallace drew a bases-loaded walk, and Morgan Zerkle singled through the left side for two more runs.

Extra innings

Each team scored once in the eighth. Portland went ahead on a Chicago throwing error, and Kern, who entered the game off the bench, answered with an RBI single to right.

The Cascade took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 11th when Korbe Otis reached on an error and Kendra Falby scored. Chicago then got the two runs it needed off Kenzie Brown, who had thrown scoreless ninth and 10th innings in relief.

Chicago made five errors and still won. Lexi Kilfoyl earned the win with seven innings of relief. She allowed four hits and two unearned runs, walked none and struck out four.

“I’m just so proud of our fight, and just staying the course,” Bandits head coach Shonda Stanton said. “I mean, not often, at any level — little league, college, pro — you have five errors and win the ball game. But, you know, that’s what it’s about, being gritty.”

Agbayani credited the player she drove in.

“[Kern] is just always so calm and so zen,” Agbayani said. “She had a great game today, and just seeing her at second and seeing her play just calms me down. She’s meant for the moment. She’s meant for this.”

Cascade season ends

Stewart went 3-for-5 with two doubles and scored three runs. Portland finished with seven hits but left 13 runners on base and went 2-for-22 with runners in scoring position.

The loss closed the Cascade’s first season. The expansion franchise went 14-11 under head coach Tairia Flowers and earned the league’s No. 3 seed.

A 2025 rematch

The Bandits face the Utah Talons in the best-of-three Championship Series at Davis Diamond. Game 1 is Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on ABC. Utah beat Chicago 2-0 in the 2025 final, winning 3-1 and 1-0. Series dates are on our 2026 AUSL schedule.