September 17, 2026 | Springfield, IL: Riding an adrenaline high from Wednesday night’s come-from-behind victory over the Firebells, the Queens set their sights on a 2-0 series lead – proving that vision boards in baseball actually do work.
Defense was to slide for on both sides of the aisle – Kelsie Whitmore, Amira Hondras, Ashton Lansdell and Diana Ibarra all got dirty for a great cause – Ibarra’s game-ending diving grab in left, and reveal of the ball in her glove was pure highlight reel heaven.
Lansdell continued to shock and awe with her ability to snag sharp ground balls and throw from her knees – always making it look like business as usual.
Maggie Foxx put LA on top with a solo shot in the second – her first of the postseason, 3-4 on the night with a couple of RBIs. And behind the dish, when Sato wasn’t getting calls on close outside pitches, Foxx, sly like her namesake, did her best to try and frame them otherwise.
In the top of the third, Queens skipper Eric Young made a questionable pitching move, bringing Ayami Sato back for seconds after Isabella Villarreal gave two strong innings of two-run ball. With San Francisco nursing a one-run lead, the legendary right-hander walked a pair to load the bases, leaving the bump, down 4-1.
LA’s offense exploded in the fourth off SF starter Jill Albayati, then continued with relievers Peyton Coria and Ela Day-Bédard. The usual culprits of walks, steals, a slew of errors, a boatload of hits and smart baserunning led to 10 runs – a WPBL record – four of which came off the bat of Ayuri Shimano, her second grand slam in 72 hours. And if that wasn’t enough, the one-woman wrecking machine was 3-5, including a bunt single and two stolen bases.
Sato returned in the bottom half filling the bags – and just when you thought Young may have made a managerial blunder – keeping his star pitcher too long at the fair – the Jewel of Japan struck out the side, notably catching Whitmore swinging and Skylar Kaplan looking. And in the sixth on her 90th pitch, she fanned the Firebell captain once more.
Meggie Meidlinger closed out the final frame with a K and a little help from her defensive friends.