What started as a tense back-and-forth contest turned into a laugher as the “visiting” SF Firebells erupted for eight runs in the fourth and four more in the sixth on the way to a 17-4 victory over the LA Queens. The Firebells force a deciding Game 5 on Tuesday night in the “best of five” WPBL Championship.
Just like last night, the Firebells got the scoring going in the first inning. Queens starter Ayuri Shimano walked Amanda Gianelloni and Kelsie Whitmore on eight pitches to start the game. Skylar Kaplan popped up to second, but then Shimano walked Andreanne Leblanc to load the bases. Jill Albayati singled home Gianelloni and Whitmore. It looked as if the Firebells were cooking up a big inning until Alexia Jorge hit into a 4-6-3 double play to stop the scoring at 2-0 Firebells.
Game 1 starter Kelsie Whitmore was back on the mound for Game 4. She got her opponent Ayuri Shimano to roll over on a ground ball to first leading off for the Queens. Ashton Lansdell hit a bouncer to short that went under Joely Leguizamon’s glove allowing Lansdell to get to 1B. Lansdell would steal second, but Jamie Mackay grounded out to 3B and Caitlin Eynon grounded out to short to end the inning with Lansdell still sitting at second.
Leading off the second inning, Jua Park hit a flare that dropped in front of Queens shortstop Caitlin Eynon. Eynon initially bobbled the ball and Queens 1B Sarah Edwards missed the catch allowing Park to reach. Joely Leguizamon singled. Ela Day-Bedard showed bunt but had to duck out of the way as the ball glanced off her helmet. The umpire called a strike saying the pitch glanced off Day-Bedard’s bat. Even though this was physically impossible, and Day-Bedard and SF manager Matt Williams argued, and all three umps met in conference, the plate umpire’s call was upheld and the at-bat continued. Day Bedard ultimately struck out and this call would have loomed large had the contest not gone the Firebells’ way. Shimano got out of the inning inducing a Gianelloni ground ball to short and a Whitmore pop-up to 3B.
The Queens half of the second started with back-to-back singles from Maggie Foxx and Sarah Edwards. Whitmore then got Isabella Villareal to fly out to right. Amira Hondras struck out swining and it looked like Whitmore might escape unscathed. But then Mo’ne Davis singled to load the bases. Whitmore walked Shimano to bring in Maggie Foxx. Lansdell hit a bouncer back up the middle that a visibly frustrated Amanda Gianelloni failed to get in front off, allowing the ball to roll into center. Ela Day-Bedard’s throw into the infield short-hopped Andreanne Leblanc and rolled to Jorge backing up in foul territory. When the chaos settled down, two runs had scored and there were runners at the corners. Mackay ultimately flew out to left to end the inning but the Queens had taken the lead 3-2 and had recaptured the momentum in the game.
Kaplan gave the ball a ride to start the third inning, but unfortunately right at Queens right fielder Jamie Mackay for the out. Andreanne Leblanc stepped to the plate and hit a moon shot over the right field wall to tie the game. Queens manager Eric Young had seen enough and brought Mackay in to relieve Shimano with Shimano moving to 2B and Amira Hondras moving from 2B to Mackay’s spot in right.
Albayati greeted Mackay with a single. Jorge reached on a fielder’s choice that erased Albayati. Park singled. Leguizamon worked the count full and then laced an opposite field shot into the right field corner scoring both Jorge and Park. Day-Bedard was hit by a pitch, arguably for the second time in as many at-bats. Mackay struck Gianelloni out swinging but the Firebells had recaptured the momentum and the lead 5-3.
Day-Bedard took over on the mound to begin the Queens half of the third, doing a straight swap with Whitmore who took over in center field. Eynon flew out to Whitmore in center on the first pitch. Hot hitting Maggie Foxx doubled down the left field line. Day-Bedard lost the strike zone for a bit and walked Edwards and Villareal to load the bases. Foxx scored on a Hondras sac fly to center, and Davis ended the inning with another out in center. Busy inning for Day-Bedard and Whitmore with the Firebells’ lead reduced to 5-4.
Whitmore also got to lead off the fourth, singling through the hole at short. Kaplan hit a bouncer up the middle that Eynon couldn’t field cleanly and everybody was safe. Leblanc grounded to third– Lansdell stepped on third to erase Whitmore and then threw across the diamond trying to double up Leblanc. Unfortunately for the Queens, Edwards dropped another catch and Leblanc reached safely.
After that the floodgates opened. Albayati flared a single into short right field to load the bases. Jorge and Park hit back-to-back doubles to plate four runs. Park ended up on third on Hondras’ wild throw into the infield.
Manager Eric Young brought in Queens’ closer Meggie Miedlinger to try and limit the carnage. But Leguizamon got her third hit of the day to score Park. Day-Bedard grounded out but successfully moved Leguizamon to second. Gianelloni scored Leguizamon with a single. Whitmore got her second single of the inning to put runners at the corners. Kaplan hit a ball into the left field corner that Isabella Villareal misplayed into at two RBI triple for Kaplan. Leblanc ended up making both the first and last outs of the inning as she popped out to 3B. But 12 Firebells had come to the plate and eight runs had scored, leaving the Queens looking up at a 13-4 Firebells lead. Day-Bedard sent the Queens down in order in their half of the fourth.
High school phenom and Queens reliever Addisyn Baird came on in the fifth and would finish out the game. The Firebells loaded the bases in the fifth with a two out Park hit by pitch, Leguizamon’s fourth hit of the game, and a walk to Day-Bedard. Gianelloni grounded out to end the threat. Queens Eynon and Foxx would reach on back-to-back singles to lead off the bottom of the fifth. But Adelaide Frank, taking over the sixth spot in the Queens batting order on the pitching change, hit into a 3-6-1 double play and Villareal flew out to center.
The Firebells treated Baird roughly in the sixth. Whitmore singled and Kaplan walked. Leblanc made a loud out to deep right field, with Whitmore tagging a moving to third. Albayati singled to score Whitmore and move Kaplan to 3B. Jorge singled home Kaplan. Park hit her second double of the day to score Kaplan and put runners at second and third. Already working on a 4-4 day, Leguizamon hit a sac fly to center scoring Jorge. Day-Bedard mercifully lined out back to Baird with the score now 17-4 Firebells. Firebells reliever Peyton Coria sent the Queens down in order in the bottom of the sixth.
The Firebells went quietly in the seventh with a one out walk to Whitmore being the only blemish on Baird’s line. The Queens looked to have something going in the bottom of the seventh when Coria plunked Lansdell and gave up a single to Mackay. But Eynon popped up to second and Foxx hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game with an extra flourish for the Firebells.
Both teams get Monday off to reset before the Tuesday Game 5 with the Firebells becoming the “home” team for this championship deciding matchup.
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