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For the first four innings, the Queens would jump ahead, and the Heights would claw some but not all of their lead back. It started right away, as Heights starter Rakyung Kim<\/a>, starting on just one day\u2019s rest after throwing 50 pitches in Game 2, walked LA leadoff hitter Samaria Ben\u00edtez<\/a> on five pitches, gave up a single to shortstop Ayuri Shimano<\/a>, then surrendered a towering three-run home run to Queens captain Ashton Lansdell<\/a>, all before recording the first out.<\/p>\n The Heights got two of those three runs back in the bottom of the first in similar fashion. Leadoff hitter Natsuki Yonetani<\/a> reached base (on a would-be fly out that Queens right fielder Amira Hondras<\/a> lost in the setting sun but was officially ruled the first triple in league history), and captain Denae Benites<\/a> hit her 13th home run of the year (regular and postseasons combined) to once again inch ahead of home run rival Kelsie Whitmore<\/a> of the Firebells (who is at 12).<\/p>\n Game 2 hero Claire O\u2019Sullivan<\/a>, who started the game at designated hitter, replaced Kim on the mound in the second inning, and she and Queens starting pitcher Michelle Roche<\/a>, returning on three day\u2019s rest after her winning effort in Game 1, both worked in an out of trouble to exchange zeroes in that frame.<\/p>\n The Queens got to O\u2019Sullivan in the third, however. After DH Caitlin Eynon<\/a> led off with a solo home run to make it 4-2, the bottom of the order pushed another run across. That happened when, wtih one out and runners on the corners, Heights shortstop Emi Saiki<\/a> tracked a pop-up behind second base onto the outfield grass, called off her teammates, then tripped on the slope of Robin Roberts<\/a> Stadium\u2019s turtleback field, allowing the ball to drop for an RBI single. O\u2019Sullivan then hit Ben\u00edtez, who was standing as close to home plate as the batter\u2019s box would allow, with a pitch to load the bases and bring up Shimano.<\/p>\n On a 2-0 pitch, O\u2019Sullivan laid a strike right over the plate, and Shimano crushed it the other way for the first grand slam in WPBL postseason history. That blew the game open at 9-2, but no lead is safe in the WPBL, particularly not against the New York Heights.<\/p>\n New York immediately got three of those runs back in the bottom of the third with considerable help from the Queens and, in the Queens\u2019 opinion, first-base umpire Steve Berardino. With one out, Roche punked first baseman Kylee Lahners<\/a>. Third baseman Val Perez<\/a> then hit into an apparent double play but just beat out the pivot throw at first base, at least according to Berardino (due the recurrent technical difficulties on the ESPN broadcast, more on those below, the play was only seen live by those in the stadium). Center fielder Claire Eccles<\/a> then beat out a slow roller to the right side by an apparently similar amount to put runners on first and second with two outs. Second baseman Madison Willan<\/a> then appeared to hit into an easy, inning-ending fielder\u2019s choice, but Shimano\u2019s short throw to second went wild, plating Perez. Saiki then singled home Eccles, and Willan scored on a wild pitch: 9-5 Queens.<\/p>\n Saiki replaced O\u2019Sullivan on the mound with two on and none out in the top of the fourth and stranded both runners. Then O\u2019Sullivan\u2019s double in the bottom of that frame plated a leadoff single by Benites to drive Roche from the game after 83 pitches (18 more than she threw in Game 1) and make it 9-6 Queens.<\/p>\n The Queens added on in the top of the fifth. Maggie Foxx<\/a>, who entered the game for Samaria Ben\u00edtez when the latter suffered an apparent left knee injury on Saiki\u2019s third-inning single (Foxx took over in right field, pushing Amira Hondras to second base, see below for more on Ben\u00edtez), drew a one-out walk. Shimano, who went 5-for-5 in the game, singled. The two then scored on a double by Lansdell and a sacrifice fly by catcher Jamie Mackay<\/a>, respectively.<\/p>\n Once again down by five runs, the Heights stormed back against Shimano, who replaced Roche on the mound, with two outs in the in the fifth. After Willian drew a leadoff walk and Saiki singled, Yonetani hit into a 6-4-3 double play. With first base open, two outs, and a runner in scoring position, Queens manager Eric Young opted to intentionally walk Benites. London Studer<\/a> made him pay with a sky-scraping opposite-field double to the wall in left center. Because there were two outs, Benites was off with the crack of the bat and able to score all the way from first just ahead of the relay throw home. Shimano then hit O\u2019Sullivan with a pitch to put two on for Kylee Lahners, who dropped down to one knee to launch a game-tying three-run home run down the left-field line. 11-11.<\/p>\n And so it would remain into the seventh. In the top of the sixth, Saiki, in her third inning on the mound, worked around a one-out single. In the bottom of that frame, Young turned to his rotation ace, Ayami Sato<\/a>, who the Heights touched up for six runs in Game 2 and hit hard in three of their four confrontations this season.<\/p>\n The decision to turn to Sato was a fascinating one. Against any other team, Young likely would have called on relief ace Meggie Meidlinger, but it was Meidlinger that the Heights beat in Game 2. The Heights are the only team that has gotten to Meidlinger all season, scoring multiple runs off her on three occasions and handing her her only two losses, one of those coming on Saturday. With Meidlinger having pitched in each of the first two games of this series, it\u2019s understandable that Young might have had hesitations about going back to her in this game given that history.<\/p>\n However, the Heights had also hit Sato hard, and Sato had thrown 45 pitches just two days earlier. After Game 1, Young was upfront about intentionally avoiding Sato in that game and starting Roche instead because of the Heights\u2019 familiarity and success against Sato.<\/p>\n Yet, coming into this season, Sato was one of the league\u2019s signature players. A three-time Women\u2019s Baseball World Cup Most Valuable Player, the 36-year-old Sato was the second-overall pick in the WPBL draft, LA\u2019s Opening Day starter, and it\u2019s clear that the other players in the league revere her. With Roche done, Shimano having surrendered the lead, and the quality of his alternatives dwindling, Young put his trust in a talented veteran who had experience in big spots, and he was rewarded.<\/p>\n Sato worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth. Then Henley turned to her lefty closer, Claire Eccles, who picked up the win in Game 2 and hadn\u2019t allowed a hit in 4 2\/3 innings over her previous two pitching appearances.<\/p>\n On this occasion, Eccles only allowed one hit, but that single (by Shimano, of course) was incidental compared to the four walks and two hit batters that surrounded it. Eccles just couldn\u2019t find the strike zone, but having also largely run out of high-leverage alternatives, Henley\u2019s best hope was that Eccles could limit the damage and the Heights\u2019 irrepressible offense could pull out one more comeback.<\/p>\n Neither happened. The Queens scored four runs in the top of the seventh, three of them forced in by Eccles on a hit-by-pitch and a pair of walks (the fourth came in on a sacrifice fly by Sato in just her second at-bat of the season). The inning, which started and ended with Foxx at the top of the order, went: hit-by-pitch, single, walk to load the bases, hit-by-pitch to break the tie, sacrifice fly, fly out, walk to reload the bases, walk to drive in a third run, walk to drive in a fourth run, fly out.<\/p>\n It was an anticlimactic way to end an otherwise thrilling ballgame. It also felt unfair to Eccles, who entered this season having not pitched in a year only to find success in the role and emerge at the end of the season as a seemingly dominant reliever. In a league with more pitching depth, Eccles wouldn\u2019t have stayed in to give up all four of those runs, and the bottom of the seventh would have had more suspense.<\/p>\n As it was, Sato made quick work of the two stars at the top of the Heights\u2019 order in the bottom of the seventh, getting Yoentani to fly out on three pitches and striking out Benites by getting her to swinging through a perfectly placed pitch up and in. A two-out double by Studer proved that the Heights never go quietly, but that was all they\u2019d manage in the inning. O\u2019Sullivan popped out to LA first baseman Sarah Edwards<\/a>, Sato got her redemption, and the Queens claimed their spot in the first championship series in WPBL history.<\/p>\n That best-of-five series, between the Los Angeles Queens and San Francisco Firebells, will start tomorrow night, Wednesday Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. Eastern.<\/p>\n Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women\u2019s Sports Daily Injury News<\/p>\n As mentioned above, Queens second baseman and leadoff hitter Samaria Ben\u00edtez suffered an apparent knee injury chasing after Emi Saiki\u2019s single into right field in the third inning. Because of the issues with the broadcast, I didn\u2019t get a good look at the play, but it appeared that Ben\u00edtez twisted her knee on the sharp downward slope behind the infield dirt of Robin Roberts Stadium\u2019s turtleback field. From what I could see, she didn\u2019t make contact with the ball or another player but went down hard, stayed down, and was clearly in a great deal of pain. Ben\u00edtez was eventually carted off the field, and she reappeared for the postgame celebrations in a wheelchair with her left knee bandaged. Unfortunately, the Queens were unavailable for comment after the game.<\/p>\n Heights manager Rocky Henley told reporters after the game that righty Jacqui Reynolds<\/a> was unavailable in this series due to a hamstring injury. Henley said that Reynolds tested her leg by throwing \u201cabout 10 pitches\u201d in the bullpen prior to Game 3. Per Henley, Reynolds said she was \u201c75-80% [and] would not be able to get to first or cover a bunt, and I didn\u2019t want to take that chance.\u201d In a bitter irony, Reynolds was no longer having any issue with the sore shoulder that sidelined her earlier in the season. Reynolds and closer Jaida Lee<\/a> (right ankle) were inactive for this game.<\/p>\n Notes<\/p>\n This should have been a triumphant night for the WPBL, but technical difficulties on the ESPN broadcast, as well as Ben\u00edtez\u2019s injury, cast a dark cloud over the experience for the many fans watching from home. Throughout the first six innings, the broadcast repeatedly lost both audio and video, often returning with just one working camera, no scorebug, and sometimes with the audio and video (when both were working) unsynchronized, at least initially. In those first six innings, the broadcast dropped out 25 times (yes, I counted). <\/p>\n Among the moments fans at home missed were Benites\u2019s home run swing, two full at-bats in the bottom of the first, four at-bats in the bottom of the fifth, the play on which Ben\u00edtez was injured (which was a run-scoring single for the Heights), the close call on the would-be double play on Perez in the third inning, an across-the-diamond double play turned by the Heights in the top of the fourth, an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth, Ayuri Shimano\u2019s single in the top of the third, and the hit-by-pitch ahead of Lahners\u2019s home run in the fifth. I had not previously witnessed any similar issues with the broadcast this season. Those involved must be mortified to have had them crop up during the most important game in league history to this point. To their credit, there were no more interruptions after the sixth inning.<\/p>\n In sharp contrast to the Firebells, whose celebration on the field after winning their semifinal against the Hunters was almost indistinguishable from that of a regular-season game, the Queens\u2019 celebration at the end of this game was more emotional and more closely resembled the team scrums we\u2019re used to seeing in such moments. This was a taxing series, and emotions ran high for both teams, leading to a bit of carping among the players. It was thus heartwarming to see the celebrating Queens and often tearful Heights exchange embraces with one another after the game, as both teams lingered on the field to congratulate one another and salute the fans.<\/p>\n Despite being the home team in this game, the Heights took the field in their sky blue alternate jerseys and gray pants, not their home pinstripes. I asked the five members of the team who attended the postgame press conference, collectively, whose decision that was, and they, almost in unison, answered, \u201cnot ours.\u201d Added Henley, \u201cyou might want to ask the league about that.\u201d It was very clear that the Heights were not happy about the choice.<\/p>\n Eccles explained her history with pitching after the Heights\u2019 Sept. 4 win over the Firebells: \u201cWith the [Canadian] national team, I started out as a P.O. [pitcher-only]. And I felt really good for that time, and then I kind of went downhill, struggled a little bit with pitching and the mental game of it.<\/p>\n \u201cI played softball in university, and obviously I\u2019m not a pitcher in softball, so I played a lot of outfield \u2026 And then I realized I just needed a break from pitching for a while. Then only recently [I] have kind of picked it up again. But with the national team, I\u2019m just an outfielder. At the World Cup qualifiers earlier, I wasn\u2019t even considered a pitcher. So, I think it\u2019s nice, because there\u2019s more games in this league and more opportunities, so I felt like it was a good time to get my confidence back. \u2026 Those outings that I had earlier this season were the only ones I\u2019ve had in a year.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, with the Heights eliminated, I asked several of them to reflect on this first season of the WPBL. Here\u2019s Val Perez\u2019s response: <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d say playing with people from all across the world adds new nuances \u2026 language barriers, and culture differences, and that kind of thing. And so, as we\u2019re building that team camaraderie, as we\u2019re learning each other\u2019s tendencies and the way that you go about your game, and how you prepare, and how you recover \u2026 there\u2019s just a lot of factors that we\u2019ve never had to deal with, because we\u2019ve never had the opportunity to play with this many people. Usually they\u2019re \u201cthe enemies,\u201d right? We\u2019re playing against them, if it\u2019s on a national level, or if it\u2019s at a women\u2019s tournament \u2026 but the merging of all the different countries and dispersing everybody on different teams allowed us to deepen our love for the game and our appreciation for the different cultures and the way they appreciate the game. And that was really exciting for me to learn and to respect that. <\/p>\n \u201cAt the same time, this is the first time we\u2019ve seen how many people throughout the league, as players, improve on their stats, and people like [gestures to Denae Benites] killing it in the game, just putting up unreal numbers, and its just testament to what happens when you give us an opportunity to play ball every day. I mean, we\u2019re not playing three or four times a year, we\u2019re playing every single day for \u2026 weeks \u2026 and the talent level is just going to continue to rise and blow people\u2019s minds. I\u2019m really excited for the growth of this league.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It makes sense that the only way the Los Angeles Queens were going to eliminate the New York…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":349915,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[123380,118509,123381,130748,127158,130749,123114,125069,125071,117688,9,24,110954,63,122,124,123,124756,130750,129331],"class_list":["post-349914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-ashton-lansdell","tag-ayami-sato","tag-ayuri-shimano","tag-caitlin-eynon","tag-claire-eccles","tag-claire-osullivan","tag-denae-benites","tag-jacqui-reynolds","tag-kylee-lahners","tag-los-angeles-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-heights","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-samaria-benitez","tag-val-perez","tag-wpbl-postseason"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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