Saturday’s WPBL night contest saw the SF Firebells pitching douse a potent LA Queens offense, winning 10-3. SF starting pitcher and player of the game Jill Albayati only gave up two unearned runs in four innings and helped herself at the plate, collecting two hits and a walk with two RBI and a run scored in three plate appearances.
The Firebells got the scoring started in their bottom of the first inning. Amanda Gianelloni led off with a walk and Kelsie Whitmore singled. Albayati singled in Gianelloni for the first of her RBIs. After Leblanc grounded into a 6-3 double play, Joely Leguizamon singled, scoring Whitmore at a contested play at home plate. While ruled safe by the home plate umpire, replay from the first base camera shows Whitmore being tagged before reaching the plate. There is no video review in the WPBL, so the umpire’s call stands.
After going quietly in the second and stranding two runners in the third, the Firebells unloaded on the Queens in the fourth, capitalizing on some defensive miscues. Jua Park led off the inning for the Firebells with a walk. Samantha Gutierrez hit what appeared to be a double play grounder to third. The Queens got the out at second, but Queens 2B Samaria Benitez air-mailed the throw to first allowing Gutierrez to reach second.
Jordan Eyster singled, putting runners at the corners for Amanda Gianelloni’s sac fly to right. Kelsie Whitmore singled, Jill Albayati walked, loading the bases for Andreanne Leblanc’s two run double. Joely Leguizman singled in two more runs, ending Michelle Roche’s night. Had the double play been made behind her, she could have been out of the inning with no damage on the Gianelloni fly ball.
Two-way player Jamie Mackay came in from first base to try and get the final out of the inning. Mackay plunked the first batter and then induced a ground ball to third from Jua Park as the Firebells batted around. Unfortunately, the grounder was bobbled by Queens 3B Ashton Lansdell and Park reached safely on the error to load the bases. Mackay then gave up two bases loaded walks, scoring the inherited runners, before finally getting Amanada Gianelloni to ground out to short. But the damage was done– seven runs scored on four hits, four walks, two errors, and a hit by pitch.
The Queens offense never really got clicking, stranding three runners on base in the second when Caitlin Enyon struck out looking. After an error by Firebells 1B Leblanc prolonged the inning, Albayati gave up a no-doubt two run homer to Jamie Mackay. But that was all the offense for the Queens until they pushed across a late run in the top of the 7th on a pair of leadoff walks and a single by Sarah Edwards. Reliever Niki Eckert faced off with Mackay with two runners on and got her to fly out to center for the final out of the game.
Final score 10-3 Firebells, continuing a string of double-digit scoring and big innings in the early WPBL action.
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