SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – With her parents watching from the stands, Joely Leguizamon stepped up to the plate and connected on one of the biggest hits of her career: her first home run.
The accomplishment would have been special on its own, but the setting makes her second-inning solo shot even more unforgettable, as it helped to extend the San Francisco Firebells’ season. They went on to win the game 10-5, avoiding elimination and a sweep by the Los Angeles Queens, in Game 3 of the Women’s Pro Baseball League Championship Series.
“It’s everything I’ve always dreamed of,” Leguizamon told reporters after the game.
She also revealed that she’s waiting to cash in on a long-standing bet with her father, who promised her $200 for every home run she hit. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday night.
“It was his first game back since his opening weekend, so to be able to do it in front of them and see both my mom and my dad as I’m going around the bases was a very wholesome moment for me,” she continued.
Leguizamon’s hit started a four-run second inning that pushed the Firebells’ lead to 7-0. She also added a double in the following frame, bringing her postseason batting average to .313 through five games,
The Championship Series has been chaotic for the Firebells, who led by as many as four runs in Game 1 before allowing the Queens to come back. They also led in Game 2.
In this one, San Francisco came roaring out of the gate, with a leadoff double from Amanda Gianelloni. Then, Kelsie Whitmore and Skylar Kaplan followed with back-to-back RBI singles.
“In this game, you never know, but I wanted to make sure that we made a statement in this game, and we’re gonna keep on going with that mentality,” Leguizamon said.
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Kaplan ended up leading the team with three hits, but seven Firebells finished with multiple hits for a total of 17.
“It encapsulates the season for us, right? It’s kind of been our strength,” manager Matt Williams said. “We’ve done enough defensively, done enough on the mound, but really the offense carries us, so tonight was just an example of us being us.”
In the regular season, the team posted a .376 batting average with 48 extra-base hits. Both stats paced the league. They are hitting a nearly identical .375 in the postseason. And their pitchers have been impressive, too, allowing a league-low 107 runs.
Saturday’s starter, left-hander Niki Eckert, picked up her second win of the season after holding the Queens to five hits and two runs in four innings. It was her first appearance in the series.
“We didn’t really have anything to lose, and I really just wanted to kind of stop the Queens’ momentum,” Eckert said.
Now, the Firebells prepare for another must-win game on Sunday. Game 4 is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT.
