August 28, 2026 | Springfield, IL: Coming into tonight’s game, 0-2 against the Firebells, the Hunters hoped to win their last attempt of the regular season and check it off their list of things to do. But the third time wasn’t a charm – and if you hail from Boston, this was a wicked loss, indeed.
On Alli Schroder’s bobblehead day, the righty was pitching a gem until the bottom of the fourth with one earned run – a long ball off the blistering bat of Kelsie Whitmore, her ninth, giving her the league lead over New York’s Denae Benites.
The San Francisco number one overall WPBL pick was 2-3, driving in three – taking matters into her own hands on the mound as well, with five innings of three runs on seven hits, fanning six. And for that, she was Player of the Game for an unprecedented third time.
In the top of the fourth, the Hunters’ two-run advantage over a team that’s been putting them at a disadvantage was promising until they gave too many gifts to a voracious Firebells lineup that will eat you alive on their own merits. Errors, walks, sac flies, and good ol’ fashioned base hitting put four more on the board, and they were just getting started.
Whitmore’s band of sisters had her back big time. Skylar Kaplan, 4-4, continued to punish pitchers no matter what city they’re from. Jordan Eyster went 1-for-2 with a pair of RBIs, Jua Park drove in two, and although Andréanne Leblanc’s seven-game hitting streak was broken, she still managed to score three runs with the three free passes she was given.
The Hunters were within reach in the top of the fifth – down 5-3 – but Whitmore retired the side in order, punching out the first two batters looking and swinging, getting the third on an infield groundout.
In the bottom frame, Boston’s Paloma Benach got bitten by a bloop single, catcher’s interference, and bobbled balls; in between base hits and a sac fly that put the Hunters in a hole they couldn’t dig out of.