New York Heights at Los Angeles Queens Preview: What Opening Night Left Unfinished

New York Heights at Los Angeles Queens

Saturday, August 22, 2026 - 6:30 PM - Robin Roberts Stadium, Springfield, Illinois

The New York Heights and Los Angeles Queens have already played the most historic game either club will ever play. Nothing later in the season can replace the night they walked out for the first pitch in Women's Professional Baseball League history.

The encouraging part is that opening night was not a ceremony with a baseball game attached to it. It became a real contest: Los Angeles erased a five-run deficit, scored four times in the seventh inning and won 10-8, while both dugouts left with a long list of things to correct.

That is why the August 22 rematch matters. Both teams will have several more games behind them by then, but the opener remains the only direct evidence of how these rosters match up. It showed where New York can hurt Los Angeles, how the Queens create pressure and why no late lead will feel safe.

One important detail also flips. New York held the home slot on August 1 and had the bottom of the seventh to answer. On August 22, Los Angeles is the home team. If the game is close late, the Queens bat last.

Game information

Detail	Information
Matchup	New York Heights at Los Angeles Queens
Date	Saturday, August 22, 2026
First pitch	6:30 PM Central Time
Venue	Robin Roberts Stadium, Springfield, Illinois
Previous meeting	Queens 10, Heights 8 - August 1, 2026
Probable pitchers	Not announced at the time of this early preview
Early prediction	Los Angeles Queens by two runs

Why opening night still hangs over the rematch

It took roughly 70 years to bring women's professional baseball back to the United States, followed by another rain delay before the new league could begin. When the tarp finally came off, the night carried more history than a normal regular-season game could hold.

A ceremonial torch was passed from women who kept the sport alive to the players now building its next chapter. Maybelle Blair, a 99-year-old All-American Girls Professional Baseball League alum, delivered a ceremonial first pitch that Kelsie Whitmore caught. The umpire crew was entirely women, and both team names carried historical meaning: the Queens honor Lizzie Murphy, while the Heights honor civil rights and women's rights leader Dorothy Height.

Once the game started, the history gave way to a messy, dramatic and highly competitive opener. New York dominated the early innings. Los Angeles absorbed the damage, stayed within reach and then turned the final two innings into the clearest preview of its identity.

Opening-night line score

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Los Angeles Queens	2	0	0	2	0	2	4	10	10	2
New York Heights	5	2	0	1	0	0	0	8	12	1

August 1, 2026 - Robin Roberts Stadium - Queens 10, Heights 8

How New York controlled most of the opener

For the first two innings, the Heights looked like the stronger team by a wide margin, and it was not luck. Ayami Sato started for Los Angeles with six World Cup gold medals for Japan, three consecutive MVP awards and a deep repertoire. New York attacked early in counts instead of waiting for her to settle.

Val Perez opened with a hit off a diving glove. Natsuki Yonetani followed with a line drive to left, and Denae Benites produced a third consecutive hit. Kylee Lahners then cleared the bases with a drive to center that Mo'ne Davis chased before slipping, tying the game almost immediately.

New York finished the first inning with five runs and added two more in the second. Sato left after three innings having allowed 10 hits and seven earned runs, a line almost nobody expected from one of the world's most accomplished pitchers.

Benites provided the signature moment in the fourth when she hit the first home run in WPBL history over the center-field wall at the 330-foot mark. She finished 4-for-4 with three runs scored. Lahners reached base four times and drove in three, while Yonetani added a single and a double.

Rakyung Kim also gave the Heights four innings on two hits and recorded the first strikeout in league history. For most of the game, New York's top order and starting pitching offered the clearest blueprint for winning the rematch: attack strikes early, force Los Angeles into defensive pressure and build a lead before the Queens' speed can take over.

How Los Angeles stole the game late

The Queens scored first. Davis reached on an error to become the league's first baserunner, Ashton Lansdell walked and the pair executed a double steal on a ball in the dirt. Maggie Foxx then lined a single into center for the first hit and first two RBIs in WPBL history before stealing second herself.

After that opening burst, the Queens spent much of the night chasing the game. They trailed 8-4 entering the sixth and 8-6 entering the seventh. With two outs in the final inning, Foxx kept the rally alive with a two-strike single up the middle. Michelle Roche followed with a ball into right-center that the wind made difficult to handle.

Amira Hondras, who had already driven in two runs with a double in the fourth, tied the game with a single to center and finished with four RBIs. Isabella Villarreal then came off the bench as a pinch hitter, worked the count and drove a two-run double over Jaida Lee's head for the 10-8 lead.

Meggie Meidlinger closed the game with two clean innings, and the Queens' late pressure reflected the approach of manager Eric Young Sr. Los Angeles used speed, aggressive turns and constant attention to pitcher timing. Even when Lansdell went hitless, she walked, scored and made the final two defensive plays at third base.

That combination is the main reason New York cannot treat any lead as comfortable. The Queens were outplayed for most of the opener and still created enough pressure to win it.

Why the field should play differently

The defensive numbers from opening night need context. Rain fell through much of the game, the wind changed direction, and outfielders fought both the sky and the lights. The infield is turtle-backed for drainage, dropping toward the edges, and neither team had taken normal infield, outfield or batting practice because the tarp remained down.

Ground balls were mishandled, throws sailed and routine fly balls became difficult. By August 22, every player should have considerably more experience with the surface, sight lines and wind patterns. That should reduce some of the cheap baserunners and make the rematch a better measure of the teams' true defensive level.

The league's format also encourages activity: games are seven innings and become official after four; the designated hitter is optional; two-way players are allowed; teams receive three mound visits; and metal, composite or wood bats are permitted. With 15-player rosters, versatility matters every night.

Five matchup questions to watch

1. Can Los Angeles contain Denae Benites and Kylee Lahners?

Benites went 4-for-4, Lahners reached four times and the middle of New York's order punished mistakes. The Queens need cleaner first-pitch execution and better positioning if those hitters come up with runners on base.

2. Who starts for Los Angeles?

The probable pitchers were not announced when this early preview was prepared. If Sato receives the ball, the central question is how she responds after allowing 10 hits in three innings. One poor outing does not erase her international record, but New York will again look for hittable strikes early in counts.

3. Can the Heights keep Davis and Lansdell quiet again?

New York held both players without a hit on opening night, which was one of the strongest parts of its pitching performance. Lansdell still walked and scored, and the Queens can create offense without a clean hit. Repeating that containment will be difficult.

4. How does New York manage the late innings?

Jacqui Reynolds entered in difficult conditions and showed command before the seventh-inning rally got away. The Heights' biggest tactical question is not whether they can build a lead; it is how Rocky Henley uses the bullpen and defense to protect one.

5. Which team gets more from its two-way players?

Maggie Foxx fielded, pitched two innings, drove in the league's first runs and helped start the winning rally. Jaida Lee moved from center field to the mound in the seventh. The league's small rosters make those multi-role decisions a real competitive advantage rather than a novelty.

Early prediction

The Heights played the better first six innings and produced the best individual performance of the opener. Benites' 4-for-4 night and the first home run in league history will remain part of the WPBL's permanent record, while New York's top order showed it can damage elite pitching.

Los Angeles, however, demonstrated a late-game quality that is harder to measure. The Queens scored six runs over the final two innings, used a pinch hitter to take the lead and continued creating pressure even when their captain and leadoff star were held without hits.

The home-team switch is the deciding factor in this early lean. Los Angeles will have the final at-bat if the game is tied or close, and its speed becomes even more dangerous when every base matters. Early prediction: Queens by two runs. That call should be revisited after the teams' August form and probable pitchers are known.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do the New York Heights and Los Angeles Queens play again?

They meet on Saturday, August 22, 2026, with first pitch at 6:30 PM Central Time at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. Los Angeles holds the home slot, so the Queens bat last if the game is close.

What happened the last time these teams played?

The Queens won 10-8 on August 1, 2026, in the first game in WPBL history. New York led 8-6 entering the seventh, but Los Angeles scored four runs in the top of the inning, capped by a two-run pinch-hit double from Isabella Villarreal.

Who hit the first home run in WPBL history?

Denae Benites of the New York Heights hit it in the fourth inning of the opener. She cleared the center-field wall at the 330-foot mark and finished 4-for-4 with three runs scored.

Who recorded the first hit, RBI and stolen base in the WPBL?

Maggie Foxx of the Queens recorded all three. Her two-run single in the first inning was the league's first hit and produced its first RBIs, and she stole second later in the inning. Mo'ne Davis was the first baserunner after reaching on an error, and Rakyung Kim recorded the first strikeout.

Where are WPBL games played in 2026?

Every game of the inaugural season is scheduled for Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. The regular season runs from August 1 to September 6, with four teams playing a 30-game schedule before the September playoffs.

What rules does the WPBL use?

Games are seven innings and become official after four. The designated hitter is optional, two-way players are allowed, defenses receive three mound visits, and hitters may use metal, composite or wood bats. Rosters carry 15 players.

Who manages the Queens and the Heights?

Eric Young Sr. manages the Los Angeles Queens after a long major league playing and coaching career. Rocky Henley manages the New York Heights and is the only woman managing a team in the league. She played third base for the Colorado Silver Bullets and co-founded the San Francisco Bay Sox girls baseball program.