History Made on the Diamond: Los Angeles Edges New York 4

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — On a wet, windy, and historic Saturday evening at Robin Roberts Stadium, the long-awaited return of women’s professional baseball to the United States officially arrived.

In the inaugural contest of the newly formed Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL), Mo’ne Davis and the Los Angeles Queens mounted a late-inning comeback under the rain, scoring four runs in the final frame to edge Denae Benites and the New York Heights 10–8 before an enthusiastic crowd of over 4,000 fans.

The high-scoring seven-inning affair marked the first professional women’s baseball game played on American soil in nearly 30 years, setting an unforgettable stage for the league’s inaugural campaign.

Game Summary & Line Score

                   WPBL INAUGURAL GAME BOX SCORE
   ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
   │ Los Angeles Queens (10): 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 (10 R)│
   │ New York Heights (8)   : 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 ( 8 R)│
   └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
   Venue: Robin Roberts Stadium (Springfield, IL) | Attendance: 4,000+

Early Fireworks: Historic Hits and Overseas Ace

Despite a steady downpour that soaked the 101-year-old ballpark, energy inside Robin Roberts Stadium was electric hours before the first pitch.

The Los Angeles Queens wasted no time etching their names into the record books in the top of the first inning. LA catcher Maggie Foxx delivered the first official hit in WPBL history, lining a bases-loaded, two-run single to put the Queens ahead 2–0 early.

On the mound, legendary Japanese right-hander Ayami Sato—widely regarded as the greatest pitcher in modern women’s baseball history—made her American professional debut for Los Angeles, battling tough conditions to keep the Heights off-balance early.

                     HISTORICAL WPBL FIRSTS
   ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
   │ • First Hit: Maggie Foxx (LA Queens) — 2-Run Single (1st)   │
   │ • First HR : Denae Benites (NY Heights) — 2-Run HR (4th)    │
   │ • First Win: Los Angeles Queens (10–8 Comeback)             │
   └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

New York Takes Control in the Middle Frames

New York clawed back behind a potent middle of the order led by Team USA superstar Denae Benites.

After New York chipped away at the deficit, Benites stamped her mark on the evening in the bottom of the fourth inning. Crushing a 1-1 pitch, Benites drove a towering two-run home run over the center-field fence for the first home run in WPBL history, giving the Heights a 6–4 advantage.

By the fifth inning, New York had extended its lead to 8–4, exploiting wet conditions on the turf to execute clever base-running and capitalize on a pair of throwing errors.

The Seventh-Inning Comeback

Trailing 8–4 heading into the late innings, former Little League sensation Mo’ne Davis and the Queens refused to fold.

Los Angeles sliced the deficit to 8–6 in the top of the sixth inning thanks to back-to-back RBI doubles in the rain. Then, in the top of the seventh and final inning, the Queens unleashed a relentless offensive surge:

Bases-Loaded Walk: LA drew three consecutive walks in slick conditions to cut the lead to 8–7.
Go-Ahead Clutch Single: With two outs, a sharp two-run single past a diving New York infielder flipped the score to 9–8 in favor of the Queens.
Insurance Run: An infield RBI hustle-play added an extra run, capping off a four-run 7th frame to establish a 10–8 lead.

Los Angeles shut down the Heights in the bottom of the seventh, locking down the final three outs to complete the thrilling comeback victory.

Post-Game Reactions: An Emotional Milestone

For the players, coaches, and organizers who spent years advocating for a sustainable professional pipeline in women’s baseball, the scoreboard was secondary to the symbolic magnitude of the evening.

“When I walked on the field I started crying because of how much this moment meant, and how much it meant to everybody,” said LA Queens catcher Maggie Foxx. “It means everything to us.”

WPBL co-founder and former MLB coach Justine Siegal noted that August 1, 2026, represents a turning point for generations of women baseball players:

“August 1st isn’t just the WPBL’s Opening Day, it’s the day we build on history,” Siegal said. “We are building a future where young girls never have to give up baseball for softball just because a professional path didn’t exist.”

With Opening Night now in the books, the 30-game regular season continues at Robin Roberts Stadium, as all four founding franchises—the Queens, Heights, Boston Hunters, and San Francisco Firebells—compete through September.