September 22, 2026 | Springfield, IL: Game 5 – the final battle of the WPBL Championship. The Women’s Pro Baseball League’s inaugural season couldn’t have scripted a better ending: a dream for those who live for the magic of a winner-take-all game. The Queens captured the first two meetings, but the Firebells fought back to tie the series, winning the next two. They say, you’re only as good as your last game. Tonight, we found out which team was good enough.
The Queens saved their best for last behind their legendary Japanese pitcher, Ayami Sato, who made history with the league’s first complete game, a masterpiece of five hits and no free passes on 71 pitches – and a shutout to boot. Sato held the most dangerous lineup in the league to four hits, days after the Firebells tagged her fellow hurlers for 17 runs – preventing SF from scoring in the seventh inning of the series for the fifth straight time.
A pair of double plays were LA’s defensive friend, and Mo’ne Davis, who quietly made some key hits throughout the season, clocked the only two for her team tonight: a single to center to load the bases, then showcasing her speed – beating out an infield dribbler.
It was a narrative of a different color, defined by a classic pitching duel. SF’s Jill Albayati, Niki Eckert and Liz Gilder didn’t give up much, a combined seven innings of an earned run on two hits. But a walk that was as good as a hit, a ball dumped in a fortuitous spot past Amanda Gianelloni, a ricocheted shot off Andréanne Leblanc’s first base glove and a fielder’s choice RBI by captain Ashton Lansdell sealed the deal.
And before the Queens doused themselves with bottles of bubbly and Sato became the historical MVP, skipper Eric Young Sr. added another Championship feather to his cap to go along with the World Series Ring he earned as the first base coach for the MLB’s Atlanta Braves.
We tip our caps to Robin Roberts Stadium and to Springfield, Illinois, the city that’s not just famous anymore for Abe Lincoln, Route 66 and the Horseshoe Sandwich. After 70 years, it’s the place that put women’s professional baseball back on the map. And what a thrilling ride it’s been.