The Game Before the Game

Portland Cascade vs. Oklahoma City Sparks
Hillsboro Ballpark, Hillsboro, Oregon
June 21, 2026 | 9:30am

It is not often I find myself at Hillsboro Ballpark at 9:30am on a Sunday, let alone the first day of summer, to watch professional Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) softball.

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I arrive just after gates open, under a low gray sky. The stadium is already filling.

The Portland Cascade take the field against the Oklahoma City Spark. Kenzie Brown (#18) is in the circle. Sis Bates (#22) is in the infield. Sam Landry (#21) is in the batting order. Sydney Stewart (#24) is the catcher.

During warmups, the sound of bats, balls, and Shania Twain’s “Giddy Up” carries across the stadium.

Some swings send the ball high enough to clear the netting, others over the stadium roof. The word “softball” starts to feel slightly out of place.

Each warmup pitch ends with a sharp pop in the catcher’s glove, carrying farther than expected across the field.

There are small moments of camaraderie on the field — Cascade pitchers stretching with resistance bands, and two Spark players dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Love Never Felt So Good.”

A public service announcement for Sequel Spiral Tampons appears on the stadium display. A Sephora tent sits on the concourse. Branding along the outfield wall blends into the rest of the space.

None of it feels separate from the game. It simply exists alongside it.

The sight of women’s softball in a professional setting recalls older images from Portland’s amateur and community leagues — familiar in subject, but different in scale and presentation.

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When the game begins, the same rhythm continues.

Pitchers on both teams move quickly through their motion.

The ball reaches the plate sooner than it appears to. There is little pause between pitches. Between innings, players gather briefly in small huddles — a few words, then back into position.

Sis Bates (#22) stepped in at bat in a still moment that didn’t feel still at all. The field was already set before anything moved.

By the end of the second inning, the Cascade are up 3–0. It was the only moment where the game reduced itself entirely to numbers.

At one point, the bases are loaded with two outs during a Cascade at-bat. The Spark are on defense, holding their positions across the infield and outfield. The pitch sequence stretches longer than the previous ones. The moment ends with a strikeout, and the inning resets without a run.

By the time I leave in the middle innings, I find myself watching less of the score and more of what is happening on the field — the speed of the pitch, the sound of contact, the timing between plays.

The rhythm of the game stays with me longer than expected.

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Curious how the game unfolded after those early moments? Athletes Unlimited Softball League later published the official highlight reel from the matchup.