The Hunters fell 7-6 to the Heights in eight innings Sunday night, but once again showed the fight that has defined their inaugural season.
The Boston Hunters and New York Heights needed extra innings to settle their second meeting of the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League season.
After seven innings of back-and-forth baseball, New York pushed two runs across in the top of the eighth and held on for a 7-6 victory over Boston at Robin Roberts Stadium.
For Boston, the loss marked another close battle in the early stages of its first professional season. After earning the franchise’s first victory against New York just one day earlier, the Hunters were unable to complete another late comeback.
Boston entered the matchup looking to build on Saturday’s historic win, when the Hunters erased a six-run deficit and defeated the Heights 9-6 for the first victory in franchise history.
Sunday’s game followed a much tighter script.
Neither team was willing to give the other much room to breathe, with Boston continuing to answer New York’s scoring opportunities and keeping the game within striking distance. The Hunters eventually forced the game into extra innings, giving themselves another opportunity to find a way to win.
New York, however, delivered the decisive blow in the eighth.
The Heights scored twice in the top half of the inning to take a 7-5 lead. Boston responded in the bottom of the frame, cutting the deficit to one and putting pressure back on New York, but the Heights ultimately escaped with the 7-6 victory.
New York’s offense was led by Denae Benites, who collected four hits and drove in four runs.
Despite the result, Boston’s first week of professional baseball has already provided plenty of signs of what the Hunters can become.
The team opened its inaugural season with losses to San Francisco and Los Angeles before finally breaking through against New York on Saturday. That first win demonstrated Boston’s ability to fight its way back from a significant deficit, while Sunday’s extra-inning game showed the Hunters could remain competitive in a much tighter contest.
Now, Boston and New York will meet again as part of their three-game stretch against one another. The Hunters will have another chance to even the series and continue building momentum in the league’s historic inaugural season.
The result may have gone New York’s way Sunday night, but for Boston, the story of the first week has been bigger than the win-loss column.
The Hunters are learning what it takes to compete at the professional level—and they are doing it together, one game at a time.
