The inaugural season of the Women’s Pro Baseball League got underway on a rainy Saturday night at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, IL. An action-packed seven inning game saw the “visiting” LA Queens come storming back against the NY Heights for a wild 10-8 final.
Rakyung Kim, late of the Korean national women’s team, started for the Heights. An early defensive miscue by Heights shortstop Val Perez and a base on balls allowed the first two batters to reach. Those runners ultimately came around to score after a wild pitch by Kim and a single from Queens stand-out Maggie Foxx. But Kim settled down and recorded two strike outs in the first, and 1-2-3 innings in the second and third. Two more walks in the fourth came around to score on Amira Hondras’ double.
The Queens started Japanese pitching legend Ayami Sato. Unfortunately, Sato’s typical pinpoint control deserted her Saturday evening, and the Heights jumped on her early with the first five batters reaching on clean hits and ultimately coming around to score. Sato got out of the inning after inducing London Studer, the eigth batter in the Heights order, to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. Sato would go on to give up two runs in the second, and pitch a scoreless third.
Even though the WPBL is a DH league, the WPBL rules allow for “two-way” players subbing in on relief throughout the game. The Queens brought in left fielder Maggie Foxx to try and hold down the Heights. Foxx struck out the first batter she faced, then gave up a solo home run (first WPBL home run) to Heights captain and catcher Denae Benites, and then walked the next batter. After her “three true outcomes” start, Foxx pitched a solid two innings of relief, working quickly and allowing her defense to do their thing.
Foxx was followed by wise elder Meggie Medlinger, who at 38 represents the oldest player in the league. Medlinger is apparently designated for the closer role by Queens manager and former MLB journeyman Eric Young. Medlinger showed icy demeanor as she worked out of trouble in the sixth (single, walk, balk), striking out Heights center fielder Jaida Lee looking for the final out of the inning. She went on to pitch clean seventh inning to collect the win as the Queens erupted in the top of the seventh to go ahead.
Coming off her relief stint with the team down 4-8 in the sixth, Maggie Foxx led off the inning and fired a screaming liner to left. The Heights left fielder misjudged as it blasted off the top of her glove and rolled to the fence. Queens right fielder Michelle Roche followed with a ringing double, scoring Foxx. Roche later advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a canny ground ball to the right side as Amira Hondras picked up her third of four RBIs on the night.
With the Queens still behind 6-8 coming into the top of the 7th, this would appear to be a perfect low leverage situation for the Heights to debut their designated closer. Heights manager Rachelle “Rocky” Henley, a towering figure in women’s baseball, elected to stick with Jacqui Reynolds who had already pitched two innings in relief of Kim and had given up two runs in the sixth.
Reynolds alternated strike outs and singles to the first four batters. Henley’s faith in Reynolds might have been vindicated when Michelle Roche hit what appeared to be a lazy fly ball to right. Unfortunately by this point in the game the rain and swirling winds made no fly balls easy chances, and Heights right fielder Natsuki Yonetani missed the catch, allowing one run to score. Amira Hondras followed with a single to tie the game, and pinch hitter Isabella Villareal completed the comeback with a no-doubt double, scoring two.
Henly brought in Jaida Lee to get the last out of the inning with a strikeout. But the damage had been done as the Heights were sent down in order in the bottom of the 7th.
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