The San Francisco Firebells were on the brink of elimination.<\/p>\n
They faced a 2-0 series deficit against the Los Angeles Queens in the first two games of the Women’s Professional Baseball League Championship Series.<\/p>\n
Now, a winner-take-all Game 5 will determine the league’s first champion in the inagular season of the WPBL.<\/p>\n
San Francisco set a WPBL single-game record with 20 hits in its 17-4 victory against the Queens on Sunday afternoon. Going into the series, the Firebells were widely considered the WPBL’s best offense, leading the league with 19 home runs and 142 runs during the regular season.<\/p>\n
They showcased their potent offense on Sunday, including an eight-run top of the fourth inning.<\/p>\n
It was a tight contest in the early going. After Jill Albayati’s two-run single in the first for the Firebells, the Queens responded with three runs thanks to a bases loaded walk and Ashton Lansdell’s go-ahead two-run single.<\/p>\n
But Los Angeles’ lead was short-lived. San Francisco scored a combined 11 runs in the third and fourth. Joely Leguizamon’s two-run double helped the Firebells score two of their three runs in the third.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/twitter.com\/wpbl_official\/status\/2101794288455536781<\/a><\/p>\n If San Francisco can win on Tuesday, Leguizamon has to be considered a strong candidate to take home MVP honors. The shortstop is 8-for-14 at the plate in the championship series.<\/p>\n In the fourth, the Firebells scored eight runs on eight hits, sending 14 batters to the plate in the frame.<\/p>\n It was a rough day for the Queens on defense and on the mound. They committed five errors, and none of their first three pitchers lasted longer than 2 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n What’s the Queens’ mentality as Game 5 approaches?<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019ve just lost a little bit of focus these last two games,\u201d Lansdell, the Queens third baseman, told MLB.com’s Michael Clair<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long week-and-a-half, two weeks for us. Sometimes it\u2019s hard to stay locked in, especially when it\u2019s just baseball, baseball, baseball all the time. I think we just need a little rest, and we\u2019ll get that and come out, guns firing, ready to win.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n WPBL Championship Series Schedule<\/p>\n *If Necessary (All games are played at Robin Roberts Stadium)<\/p>\n Game 1 – Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. EDT<\/p>\n Game 2 – Thursday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. EDT<\/p>\n Game 3 – Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. EDT<\/p>\n Game 4* – Sunday, Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. EDT<\/p>\n Game 5* – Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. EDT<\/p>\n How to Watch<\/p>\n Fans can watch the action on ESPN+, which requires a monthly subscription. You can watch highlights of the games via the WPBL YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n