SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS: New York vs Boston. If you’re a diehard baseball fan you’ll appreciate the deep rooted rivalry of these two storied cities.
On a day when the 0-2 Hunters needed to prove that they were a force to be reckoned with, the better part of the game belonged to New York. The Heights captain, Denae Benites, continued her assault on opposing pitchers with a solo shot, a two run shot – and in a NY (30) minutes – it was 4-0 in the third.
Heights tacked on two additional runs in the fourth on a pair of sac flies, but in the fifth, the Hunters started circling – getting back two that they’d previously given away. Alli Schroder, Hyeonah Kim and Gabbie Haas each took one for the team, Denver Bryant slipped an RBI base hit through the hole and Sabrina Robinson launched one long enough for a sac fly.
In the top of the sixth Boston erased a four run deficit and then some. After Raykung Kim had a tough time finding the plate, Boston took full advantage. With the bases juiced, Bryant’s offense caught up with her defense. She launched a bases-clearing double, reaching third on an offline throw past the bag.
Keira Izumi took the reins from Kim, surrendering a game-tying single to Gabbie Haas, for her first WPBL hit of the season. Three Hunters walked back-to-back for the go ahead run and Alyssa Zettlemoyer came in from the hot corner to a cold mound and gave up a two run double to Ticara Geldenhuis – the right fielder from Down Under, padding the lead 9-6, where it remained.
Raine Pagham gave up four runs, but kept the Hunters in the game. And Maïka Dumais sealed the deal with three clutch innings in relief. It’s games like these that keep us coming back for more. The night game of the doubleheader – a rematch of SF and LA is coming up.