The first game of the semifinal matchup between the “visiting” Boston Hunters and the SF Firebells was a tense see-saw battle featuring pitching, defense, and timely hitting. The Firebells ultimately prevailed 6-4, continuing their regular season unbeaten streak against the Hunters into post-season play.
The pitching matchup between the Firebells’ Kelsie Whitmore and the Hunters’ Kate Blunt did not disappoint. Both starters went five innings and left the game in a virtual deadlock with the score 3-2 Hunters. Both pitchers sent the side down in order in the first inning– Whitmore on seven pitches and Blunt with six.
The Hunters started the scoring in the top of the second. After Denver Bryant grounded out to third to open the frame, Molly Paddison drew a four pitch walk. Ticara Geldenhuis doubled into the right center field gap. Geldenhuis got a little dinged up on the play as Firebells 2B Amanda Gianelloni did a pratfall on her bobblehead night over the sliding Geldenhuis, apparently spiking Geldenhuis on her right arm. The trainer taped up Geldenhuis and it was game on.
With runners on second and third and only one out, Hunters player/coach Beth Greenwood collected the first of her three RBIs on the night with a sac fly to center. Suzu Yamamoto flied out to right to end the inning with the Hunters up 1-0.
The Firebells looked to have something cooking in their half of the second when Andreanne Leblanc walked and Alexia Jorge continued to lead the league in hit by pitch even in the playoffs. Unfortunately, Joely Leguizamon hit into a 6-4-3 double play– an ominous omen of a night of frustration at the plate for the Firebells’ shortstop. Jua Park flied out to center to end the inning.
Whitmore sent the Hunters down in order in the third, thanks to some slick defensive plays behind her. Raine Padgham popped out harmlessly to 2B, bringing up Lexi Hastings at the top of the Hunters’ batting order. Hastings blasted the ball into center field where Ela Day-Bedard tracked it down with a fine running over-the-shoulder catch that got an appreciative salute from Whitmore, who normally patrols center field for the Firebells when she’s not pitching. Gabbie Haas smoked a low liner into the hole at 2B where she was robbed by Amanda Gianelloni with a tumbling, diving stab. Gianelloni took a few seconds getting to her feet and then nonchalantly flicked the ball out of her glove and headed for the dugout.
Ayaka Yamamoto led off the Firebells’ third flicking a ball off the end of her bat into short right. Hunters’ 2B Suzu Yamamoto sprinted halfway to Chicago to snatch the ball in the air, only to lose the ball again as she slammed hard into the turf, leaving Ayaka safely on 1B as the victor in this round of the Yamatmoto-Yamamoto matchup. It looked as if the Hunters might turn another double play when Ela Day-Bedard hit a slow roller to short, but she sprinted into 1B ahead of the throw. Suzu Yamamoto may have had the last word in the Yamamoto-Yamamoto matchup, however, stepping on the bag at second to erase Ayaka on the basepaths.
Day-Bedard stole second on the first pitch to Firebells’ leadoff hitter Amanda Gianelloni, and then moved to third on Gianelloni’s single. The Hunters wanted no part of Kelsie Whitmore with runners on the corners and one out, and gave her the intentional walk to load the bases. This brought up Skylar Kaplan, who is ridiculously under the radar for a hitter who is second in the league in batting average and hits and who has yet to strike out in any plate appearance. Kaplan did what Kaplan does, singling in Day-Bedard to tie the game. Andreanne Leblanc followed with a sac fly to right to score Gianelloni. Jorge walked to reload the bases. After hitting into the double play in the second, Leguizamon grounded out to 3B to leave the runners stranded in the third. But the Firebells were now up 2-1.
The Hunters answered back in the fourth. They greeted Whitmore with back-to-back hits from Alli Schroder and Denver Bryant. Whitmore buckled down and struck out Molly Paddison and got Ticara Geldenhuis to pop up on the infield. But any thoughts of getting out of the inning unscathed ended when Beth Greenwood hit into the right center gap. Ela Day-Bedard made an ill-advised choice to leave her feet, completely missing the ball and allowing it to roll nearly to the wall with both runners scoring. Greenwood was on her way to second when Skylar Kaplan grabbed the ball in right and threw a strike to Amanda Gianelloni at 2B. Only a heads-up hook slide from Greenwood prevented her from being tagged out. Suzu Yamamoto walked, but Raine Padgham grounded to 2B to end the threat. The Hunters were once again in the lead 3-2.
Blunt sent the Firebells down in order in their half of the fourth inning. Again Whitmore started the fifth inning giving up back-to-back hits– this time to Lexi Hastings and Gabbie Haas at the top of the Hunters’ lineup. Whitmore then helped herself by catching a pop-up from Alli Schroder in foul territory. Denver Bryant grounded into a fielder’s choice at 2B, erasing Haas and putting runners at the corners with two outs. Whitmore struck out Paddison a second time to end the inning with no damage.
Gianelloni started the sixth with a ground out to short. Whitmore, who was still in line for the win if the Firebells could go ahead in this inning, singled into short left field. Kaplan doubled past a reaching Molly Paddison in right, moving Whitmore to 3B. Whitmore scored to tie the game on a Leblanc ground out to short. In an eight pitch at-bat catcher Alexia Jorge got the win for her pitcher as she slammed a ball to the wall in left that eluded Hunters’ left fielder Ticara Geldenhuis. Kaplan scored and Jorge ended up with a double. Capping a night of offensive frustration, Joely Leguizamon flied out to center, stranding Jorge. But Whitmore would get the win if the Firebells could hold on to their narrow 4-3 lead.
Firebells’ reliever Rosi Del Castillo walked Geldenhuis to lead off the sixth after an impressive nine pitch at-bat from the Australian. But the Hunters couldn’t convert. Greenwood struck out, Yamamoto grounded out to 2B. Padgham hit a ball that looked like trouble near the right field line in shallow right. Gianelloni got on her horse and gloved the ball just as it crossed into foul territory, but ultimately couldn’t come up with it as she took a scary tumble to the ground. After some discussion about whether the ball was actually fair or foul, the players reset and Padgham popped out harmlessly to Gianelloni on the next pitch.
The Firebells added some insurance in their half of the sixth against Hunters’ reliever Olivia Bricker. Park doubled and reliever Rosi Del Castillo singled from the eigth spot in the batting order, moving Park to 3B. Ela Day-Bedard scored Park with a sac fly to left. Gianelloni flied out to right. Whitmore got her second intentional walk of the night, and Kaplan collected her second RBI after a Whitmore IBB with a single that scored Del Castillo. Perhaps the Firebells’ opponents should stop walking Whitmore to get to Kaplan. Andreanne Leblanc worked a walk to load the bases, but Jorge flew out to shallow center stranding the runners. 6-3 Firebells.
Those insurance runs would loom large as the Hunters mounted a threat in the seventh. Del Castillo had thrown 24 pitches in the sixth, but Firebells manager Matt Williams ran her out again to begin the seventh against the top of the Hunters’ lineup. Del Castillo hit Hastings with her third pitch and then walked Haas on four pitches. Firebells pitcher Liz Gilder–used predominantly as a starter in the regular season–quickly started warming up in the bullpen. Alli Schroder gave the ball a ride to right field, but Kaplan flashed some leather and snagged the ball with a leaping, running catch. Denver Bryant walked to load the bases with one out and Del Castillo’s night was done.
Liz Gilder entered the game and struck out Paddison for the third time in as many at-bats. Geldenhuis hit a bouncer to 3B that took a high funky hop off the lip of the infield grass, evading Jua Park who had moved to 3B on a defensive realignment earlier in the game. Leguizamon was backing up on the play, but by the time she fired the ball to Leblanc at 1B, Hastings had scored and everybody was safe with the bases still loaded and the score now 6-4.
Up stepped Beth Greenwood who was responsible for the Hunters first three RBIs on the night. Greenwood grounded to deep short where Leguizamon grabbed the ball and threw a laser to Leblanc at first to end the inning. A dramatic ending to a terrific matchup in the first game of the WPBL post-season.
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