{"id":2130,"date":"2026-06-10T10:39:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T10:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130"},"modified":"2026-06-10T10:39:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T10:39:05","slug":"carolina-blaze-opener-in-durham-represents-growth-of-softball-womens-sports-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130","title":{"rendered":"Carolina Blaze opener in Durham represents growth of softball, women\u2019s sports"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

ESPN reported at 1 p.m. Tuesday the Women\u2019s College World Series received its highest viewership numbers in history. The Carolina Blaze hosted its first game in Durham four hours later, and opening day reflected the upward trend.<\/p>\n

Read more NC House passes crypto ATM bill to curb scams. Will the Senate take it up?<\/a><\/p>\n

The Blaze, part of Athletes Unlimited Softball League, opened its season at Smith Family Stadium, home of Duke softball. Game 1 against the Portland Cascade was a culmination of work over the last year to bring professional softball to the Triangle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s moments like these where we have unique opportunities to bring everyone together,\u201d Durham Sports Commission Executive Director Marcus Manning said. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t be more thankful … it\u2019s a historic moment. It\u2019s a historic day.\u201d<\/p>\n

But opening day wasn\u2019t only about a game, the league\u2019s new city-based model or the ripe sports culture in the region. It also represented an investment in women\u2019s sports and a commitment to empowerment from childhood to adulthood.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack when I played pro, we had a salary cap of $100,000 for the entire team, and some of us didn\u2019t get paid,\u201d Cascade head coach Tairia Flowers said. \u201cWe were riding in a limo with the entire team, with our bat bags on our lap, trying to get from game to game. Watching what it is now, I am thrilled that they have this opportunity. \u2026 I couldn\u2019t even imagine it 20 years ago when I was on the field. These women understand that they have a great opportunity in front of them, and they are making the most of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The game day environment was designed for everyone, though it leaned into the interests for its largely female audience.<\/p>\n

Signage around the stadium highlighted women\u2019s sports pioneers in multiple sports \u2014 including North Carolina soccer great Mia Hamm and Tennessee\u2019s late women\u2019s basketball coach Pat Summitt \u2014 and books by female authors. Even the promotional reads by the public address announcer focused on the needs and interests of girls and women.<\/p>\n

Fans received free ice cream from Two Roosters, the North Carolina-based company, face painting, hair braiding and sparkly crafts. They could even write notes to the team or their favorite players. Former Tennessee ace Karlyn Pickens was a favorite.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear Karlyn, I look up to you, and you are one of my favorite softball players,\u201d one fan wrote in pink glitter marker.<\/p>\n

Read more Carolina Blaze opener in Durham represents growth of softball, women\u2019s sports<\/a><\/p>\n

Then, two dozen players from youth organizations participated in a pregame parade around the edge of the field, too, earning applause from attendees and players from both teams.<\/p>\n

There was an element of community, too. Fans wore Duke, Florida, Clemson and Tennessee gear \u2014 a nod to the players\u2019 alma maters. Blaze fans cheered for Cascade players, with Sam Landry (Oklahoma) and Kelly Torres (Duke) receiving some of the biggest cheers. Portland fans cheered for Blaze players, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s when you know your game is growing,\u201d Flowers said. \u201cThey know names and not just like, \u2018Oh, I only like the team where I live.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The players themselves embraced the opportunity to compete with their teammates again, even if they were in opposite dugouts. Torres hugged Jala Wright and Ana Gold at home plate. Pickens and Aubrey Leach spent a few minutes with Payton Gottshall, who plays for the Cascade, before first pitch.<\/p>\n

That was all before the game. The stands and large chunks of the outfield were full when Aleshia Ocasio threw out the first pitch. They stayed that way through the final out. Some fans had the opportunity to take photos and receive autographs from players, while others got to run the bases.<\/p>\n

It was clear: If there were any lingering questions about support for the Blaze or the growth of the sport, those were put to bed. And, hey, Carolina picked up a 4-1 win.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was great to have a sold-out crowd on opening day, for being this our first home base with the AUSL,\u201d said Blaze head coach Kara Dill. \u201cI do think this fan base is going to be electric. You can tell that they understand the game of softball. I think [we\u2019re] just trying to figure out how we\u2019re going to interact with those fans and give them a space where they can cheer and they can give us a home field advantage. \u2026 That\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to create here in Durham. I feel like we have the fan base that can do that. We\u2019re just going to keep winning. We\u2019re going to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Property tax hike coming for Durham County homeowners after budget vote<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AUSL Carolina Blaze sold out opening day hosted at Duke showcased ongoing growth in women's professional softball, youth engagement and community support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nCarolina Blaze opener in Durham represents growth of softball, women\u2019s sports - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Carolina Blaze opener in Durham represents growth of softball, women\u2019s sports - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"AUSL Carolina Blaze sold out opening day hosted at Duke showcased ongoing growth in women's professional softball, youth engagement and community support.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-10T10:39:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"headline\":\"Carolina Blaze opener in Durham represents growth of softball, women\u2019s sports\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-10T10:39:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130\"},\"wordCount\":818,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/230b388690e4797cfc4b9bf0908c8da9.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130\",\"name\":\"Carolina Blaze opener in Durham represents growth of softball, women\u2019s sports - Durham Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/230b388690e4797cfc4b9bf0908c8da9.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-10T10:39:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/230b388690e4797cfc4b9bf0908c8da9.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/230b388690e4797cfc4b9bf0908c8da9.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2130#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Carolina Blaze opener in Durham represents growth of softball, women\u2019s sports\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Durham Moving Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Carolina Blaze opener in Durham represents growth of softball, women\u2019s sports - Durham Moving Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Carolina Blaze opener in Durham represents growth of softball, women\u2019s sports - Durham Moving Hub","og_description":"AUSL Carolina Blaze sold out opening day hosted at Duke showcased ongoing growth in women's professional softball, youth engagement and community support.","og_url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130","og_site_name":"Durham Moving Hub","article_published_time":"2026-06-10T10:39:05+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"headline":"Carolina Blaze opener in Durham represents growth of softball, women\u2019s sports","datePublished":"2026-06-10T10:39:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130"},"wordCount":818,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/230b388690e4797cfc4b9bf0908c8da9.jpg","articleSection":["Read today's Edition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130","name":"Carolina Blaze opener in Durham represents growth of softball, women\u2019s sports - Durham Moving Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/230b388690e4797cfc4b9bf0908c8da9.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-10T10:39:05+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/230b388690e4797cfc4b9bf0908c8da9.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/230b388690e4797cfc4b9bf0908c8da9.jpg","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2130#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Carolina Blaze opener in Durham represents growth of softball, women\u2019s sports"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/","name":"Durham Moving Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/durhammovinghub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}