Women's Professional Baseball League debuts -- LA Queens win opener

The Women's Professional Baseball League's inaugural season is underway, and its first victory officially belongs to the Los Angeles Queens.

It was certainly worthy of its place in history. Facing a four-run deficit through five innings -- a regulation WPBL game is a seven-inning contest -- Los Angeles needed six runs in its final two innings, including a four-run outburst in the top of the seventh, to get past the New York Heights, 10-8, on Saturday night at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Ill.

Despite taking the loss, New York came away with one major milestone -- the first home run hit in WPBL play will forever belong to Heights catcher Denae Benites, who launched one to dead center in the bottom of the fourth amid a 4-for-4 night (three runs, two RBIs).

In other historic moments, Mo'ne Davis, who 12 years ago was the first girl to win a game and throw a shutout in the Little League World Series, fittingly scored the WPBL's first run in the top of the first (as Los Angeles' center fielder), driven in by pitcher-outfielder Maggie Foxx (2-for-2, two RBIs).

Not to be outdone, other standout performers in the slugfest included Los Angeles' Michelle Roche (2-for-4, two RBIs, two runs scored) and Amira Hondras (2-for-4, four RBIs); for New York, Kylee Lahners went 2-for-2 with three RBIs.

The WPBL is the first women's league to exist in the United States since the disbanding of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in 1954. Its inaugural season will feature four founding clubs representing Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, with all games scheduled to take place at the neutral Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield. Each club will play 15 regular-season games, with the season ending on Sept. 6.

After an electric start to the season, action will resume Sunday, with the season opener for the San Francisco Firebells and Boston Hunters.