The second game of the WPBL season saw the “visiting” San Francisco Firebells torching the Boston Hunters starter Raine Pagham for ten runs, on their way to an easy 11-3 win. The Hunters defense did flash some leather in the later innings, but their offense was smothered by Firebells pitching.
Pagham struck out the first batter she faced, and induced Firebells franchise player and starting pitcher Kelsie Whitmore to ground out to third. But then Jill Albayati doubled and scored on an Andreanne Leblanc single before Pagham could record the final out.
Pagham walked the first batter to start the second and then gave up a double to Skylar Kaplan. After a groundout, Pagham gave up back-to-back base hits and two runs. Pagham closed the inning with Jill Albayati taking a called third strike.
Pagham’s third inning started with the first two runners reaching on a walk and a hit by pitch. It only got worse from there, with the next five batters all reaching base. By the time Kelsie Whitmore made the first out of the inning with a sac fly to left, all of the Firebells starting lineup had either scored a run or collected an RBI. A strikeout and a hit by pitch ended Pagham’s evening, facing ten batters in the third and collecting only two outs.
Hunters manager Keith Foulke called on Maika Dumais to get the final out in the third. Dumais gave up a single to Alexa George, scoring inherited runner Amanda Gianelloni, and then hit the third Firebells batter of the inning. Dumias finally got Skylar Kaplan, the 13th batter of the inning, to fly out to left. But the Hunters found themselves looking at a 10-1 deficit. The Firebells would go on to manufacture another run in the sixth against the Hunter’s third reliever Alli Shroder, but the outcome was never in doubt.
Kelsie Whitmore started for the Firebells and only got into trouble when she walked the first two batters in the second inning. She was able to limit the damage and escape with only a single run scoring. Whitmore worked efficiently and only faced 12 batters in three innings of work, throwing 52 pitches with one strikeout and two walks.
Niki Eckert followed. Hyeonah Kim reached on an error and Ticara Geldenhuis doubled in front of friends and family who had traveled from Australia to watch Geldenhuis’ pro debut. Both runners were to come home on balk calls as Eckert delivered three strikeouts in the inning and one walk. Eckert pitched the fifth and collected another strikeout, but also a walk and a hit by pitch. Jill Albayati sent down the Hunters in order in the sixth and seventh.
The Hunters did turn in two impressive defensive plays. In the fourth, Hunters center fielder Gabrielle Haas made a snow cone catch laying out with full extension to rob Jua Park of a double. In the sixth, third base spark plug Denver Bryant ranged deep and made a strong throw to Sabrina Robinson at first who did a full split at first to snag the ball just ahead of speedster Amanda Gianelloni’s arrival. The Firebell’s 11th run scored on the play, but the web gem may have blunted the sting somewhat.
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