You may not have seen the Sonoma Stompers baseball game Friday night. You may not have even known about the game that made it into the professional baseball history books. Heck, you might not even watch baseball on TV. But with the first pitch of the game, Florida got some huge bragging rights. The pitcher, 25-year-old Stacy Piagno, is from St. Augustine, Florida. And Stacy is female.Piagno is one of two women who started the game for the Stompers against the San Rafael Pacifics at Arnold Field in Sonoma. Women playing professional baseball is not exactly new, but it’s the first time in more than 50 years that women have played professional baseball.
Stacy Piagno, the 25-year-old pitcher from St. Augustine, Florida, made it through the first inning, gave up two runs in the second and lasted until the third inning. Behind her, in left field, was Kelsie Whitmire, 17, of Temecula (Riverside County), who Stompers officials consider the best
It wasn’t an All-Star performance for either player — Piagno gave up three hits, including two RBI doubles, and walked two. Two errors were also committed behind her. Whitmire walked and struck out in two plate appearances and the Stompers lost 8-4.
But they fit in. And that says more than their stats right now. It’s all about respect, and it seems that Piagno and Whitmire are well on their way to earning their share. The two of them will determine whether the newest social experiment in the major leagues succeeds or not. Like it was in the days of Jackie Robinson, women and girls of all ages are watching and waiting to see.
