The SF Firebells stunned the “visiting” NY Heights with a seven run bottom of the seventh for a walk-off 11-9 victory Sunday night, the first walk-off win in the inaugural season of the WPBL. After scuffling defensively all evening, Firebells 1B Andreanne Leblanc capped the scoring with a full-count, two-out grand slam, her first home run in the league.
The Firebells struggled to push across a run in the bottom of the first, despite back-to-back singles from Amanda Gianelloni and Kelsie Whitmore leading off the inning. Heights starter Rakyung Kim struck out Joely Leguizamon looking and got Andreanne Leblanc to pop up on the infield. Alexia Jorge walked to load the bases. A wild pitch during Skylar Kaplan’s at-bat allowed Gianelloni to score, but Kaplan flied out harmlessly to left on the next pitch, leaving the remaining runners stranded.
The Heights answered back decisively in the top of the second. Firebells starter Niki Eckert walked Emi Saiki to lead off the inning. Claire Eccles and Elodie Ciamarro singled to load the bases. Suzu Narasaki continued the hit parade to score Saiki and tie the game. Eckert got the Heights dangerous lead-off hitter Natsuki Yonetani to pop up to second for the first out. Unfortunately for the Firebells’ starter, the next batter was league offensive leader Denae Benites who lately only seems to hit home runs against the Firebells. Benites did not disappoint, hitting Eckert’s third pitch so hard that the defense simply turned and watched the ball sail out of Robin Roberts stadium for a grand slam and tying Kelsi Whitmore for the league lead in home runs. Eckert recovered and got quick ground outs from London Studer and Kylee Lahners, but the Firebells were looking at a 5-1 deficit.
The Firebells started chipping away at that lead immediately in the bottom of the second. Jua Park and Samantha Gutierrez both singled to begin the frame. Jordan Eyster reached on a fielder’s choice as Gutierrez was erased and Park moved to third. Park would score on a wild pitch to Amanda Gianelloni. Gianelloni would walk, and both baserunners would advance on a wild pitch during Kelsie Whitmore’s at-bat. Whitmore hit the ball sharply to the left of Heights’ shortstop Val Perez. Unable to reverse her momentum, Perez’s only play was to first as Eyster came home. Leguizamon struck out looking for the second time in as many at-bats, continuing a string of frustration in the three-hole stretching back to Friday night’s contest.
The Heights scored again in the top of the third, but questionable tactical decisions may have stopped them from having a bigger inning. Val Perez hit a routine grounder to short, but Leguizamon’s throw to 1B short-hopped and Leblanc, normally a vacuum cleaner at 1B, failed to glove the ball. Perez ended up on second base. Emi Saiki struck out swinging, bringing up Claire Eccles. Despite singling cleanly in her first at-bat, Eccles attempted a drag bunt up the 1B side of the infield for a base hit. Eckert pounced on the ball and easily threw out Eccles at first for the second out. Ciamarro singled home Perez. Suzu Narasaki hit a bouncing ball up the middle which Firebells 2B Gianelloni stopped with a spectacular tumbling dive. Unfortunately, her flick to Firebells shortstop Leguizamon was less than spectacular and trickled back towards the mound. Ciamarro made an ill-advised attempt for 3B, as Leguizamon tracked down the ball and quickly threw to Jua Park at 3B for the put out. The Heights were up 6-3, but perhaps left wondering what might have happened in the inning had they not conceded two outs.
Leblanc led off the Firebells’ half of the third with a single. Jorge flied out to center, but Kaplan walked and Park was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Gutierrez hit a hot shot into the hole at short but was denied by a great stab from Heights shortstop Perez. Leblanc came home on the play, however. Kim struck out Eyster looking to keep the the score at 6-4.
The Heights went quietly in the fourth and fifth thanks to the Firebells’ defense turning double plays in each inning. The Firebells’ offense was smothered by Heights reliever Jacqui Reynolds, with the Heights turning a double play in the fifth to shut down a Firebells two-on, one-out threat.
Ciamarro led off the sixth for the Heights with a fly ball to left. Narasaki hit a ground ball to third, but Park’s throw was wide of a reaching Leblanc at first, allowing Narasaki to reach 2B. Narasaki then took matters into her own hands, stealing third and then scampering home on a wild pitch during Yonetani’s at-bat. Yonetani would then walk and later steal second.
Benites hit a ground ball to third, but Park’s throw pulled Leblanc off the bag. Leblanc attempted to tag Benites coming up the line, but the ball squirted out of her glove. Benites ended up on second, and Yonetani scored. More worryingly, Leblanc was in obvious pain after the contact, though she stayed in the game after gingerly testing her glove arm with the training staff. Leblanc looked grim after failing to handle another put-out.
Studer singled, scoring Benites. Lahners singled, but Perez flied out, and Saiki grounded out to first to end the inning. The Heights were now up 9-4 with only six outs left for the Firebells.
The Firebells were shut down again in their half of the sixth by Reynolds, and the Heights went quietly in the top of the seventh. The stage was set for some late inning redemption for the Firebells squad against Heights reliever Claire O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan plunked Jorge to lead off the inning. Kaplan singled. Park hit a bouncer to third, but the throw to second was off line and everybody was safe as the bases were loaded. First pitch swinging, Gutierrez doubled into the left field gap to score Jorge and Kaplan. Pinch hitter Ela Day-Bedard struck out looking and Gianelloni hit a soft liner back to O’Sullivan for the second out. With first base open and two outs, the Heights wanted no part of Kelsie Whitmore and gave her the intentional walk.
Leguizamon had been out in each of her last eight at-bats, stretching back to Friday night when she had been the ninth and final batter of each of the Firebells’ big innings. In her previous at-bat in this game, she had been bunting for a base hit but was called out because she kicked the ball in fair territory running out of the box. So it must have come as a huge relief to flick O’Sullivan’s first offering into short left center for a base hit, scoring Park.
Up stepped a grim Andreanne Leblanc, her glove arm doubtless still sore, and perhaps stinging even more from the feeling she failed to corral her teammates’ throws to first. With two outs, Leblanc worked the count full, spitting on a 3-1 strike on the inside part of the plate from O’Sullivan. The next pitch was right where Leblanc wanted it and she hit a moon shot to dead center field for the walk-off grand slam. Fist pumping and tossing her batting helmet as she rounded third, Leblanc joined the celebration at home plate as fans in the stands rang hundreds of bells that had been passed out earlier in the evening.
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