SPRINGFIELD, ILL. – Call them the comeback Queens.
The Los Angeles Queens won the first-ever WPBL game, a 10-8 victory against the New York Heights in a rain-soaked Springfield Saturday evening.
The rain fell harder than at any other point in the day during the seventh inning, and it’s also when the Queens’ bats came alive.
Amira Hondras and Isabella Villareal got back-to-back hits in the top of the seventh to take a 10-8 lead after the Queens had trailed 7-2.
While plenty of big names like Mo’ne Davis, Danae Benites and Ashton Lansdell took the field on Saturday, plenty of other women’s baseball up-and-comers also made their marks. Here are two players from the Queens and Heights to keep an eye on for the rest of the season.
Utility Maggie Foxx
The Queens’ Maggie Foxx played the outfield and pitched two innings on Saturday, posting one of the best individual performances of the evening.
“To be honest, I didn’t see her pitch this week,” Queens manager Eric Young said. “That type of energy, and (the other players) had that too, with the willingness to do whatever it takes; they all are willing to go and play at any position.”
Foxx also plays softball at Brown and has emerged as one of the best young bats in women’s baseball. A native of Bedford, New Hampshire, Foxx was the first girl to play for a Division I varsity baseball team in the state.
She also has the potential to become one of the best hitters in the WPBL. She went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs on Saturday.
“Maggie is like the most positive person ever,” Queens center fielder Mo’ne Davis said. “No matter what’s going on in the game, she’s always cheering for you, letting you know, like she loves you. I’m so glad she’s up here because she definitely deserves it.”
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2B Amira Hondras
Amira Hondras is coming off a strong World Cup appearance last week where she scored six runs and hit .500 over four games for the U.S. women’s national team.
In her WPBL debut, she went 2-for-4 for the Queens and hit the game-tying single up the middle in the top of the seventh inning to drive in Meggie Meidlinger.
The youngest member of the Queens, Hondras batted eighth in the lineup and started at second base in the team’s opener. She is expected to be a key part of their middle infield.
Davis shouted out Hondras and infielder Isabella Villarreal as important young players going forward.
“The lights are never too bright (for them),” she said.
RHP Rakyung Kim
Rakyung Kim was New York’s starting pitcher Saturday and threw the first pitch in league history, which Davis fouled off as Los Angeles’ leadoff hitter. Kim finished her day with four strikeouts in 80 pitches.
“In any game, in any new season, it takes a second to settle in, get the nerves out, get used to the field,” Heights manager Rocky Henley said. “This is the first time we’ve been on the field at all. Like we haven’t touched the field before today, so I think that makes a little bit of a difference in finding that comfort. I’m also trying to learn how to communicate with her because we don’t speak the same language, so it’s been a little bit of a hurdle. But just trying to figure each other out and get more comfortable. But I think she did incredible. I think she’s going to be one of the best pitchers on our team.”
Kim, who threw four innings on Saturday, is regarded as one of the best players to ever come out of South Korea and is expected to be the Heights’ ace. Her counterpart on the mound for the Queens was Ayami Sato, who many consider one of the best pitchers of all time. However, Kim held her own, proving she has the potential to lead a starting rotation.
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OF Natsuki Yonetani
Aside from missing a flyball in the seventh inning due to the wind, Natsuki Yonetani played a solid game as New York’s right fielder against the Queens.
She recorded an outfield assist earlier in the day and went 2-for-4 from the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
“Our roster says that she’s a left fielder, but a couple days later, she comes over to me and says, ‘I play right field,’” Henley said. “And I’m like, ‘But you say left field.’ She says, ‘No, I throw the runner out at first base.’ I was like, ‘Okay, let’s do that.’”
Yonetani has previously represented Japan in international tournaments. Henley said she expects Yonetani to be one of the most important players in the Heights’ lineup.
“In our little scrimmage, she ran down this ball in right-center field, amazing catch on Thursday, and then today, I mean, she just sees the ball really well off the bat on the right-hand side, and it pays off,” Henley said. “She’s going to be a great player, a player to watch definitely this season.”
