The Women's Professional Baseball League makes its historic debut

Brittany Apgar (from left), Maggie Foxx and Mo'ne Davis, of the Los Angeles Queens, joke around in the dugout prior to the start of the Women's Pro Baseball League's inaugural game in Springfield, Ill., on Saturday, Aug. 1. Jaclyn Licht for NPR hide caption

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Three hours before game time, hundreds of fans swarmed the construction-lined, rain-soaked parking lot of Springfield's Robin Roberts Stadium. Some lived down the road; most hailed from across the country, and some had come from as far as away as South Korea and Australia.

Carol and Mike Studer, the grandparents of the New York Heights' first baseman London Studer, worried the weather would postpone London's start against the Los Angeles Queens and they'd miss their flight the next morning. One hour later, security parted the gates.

"Am I the very first inside?" yelled a teenage girl holding a baseball mitt as she rushed through a balloon-adorned entrance to be greeted by a custom bobblehead of Queens outfielder Mo'ne Davis.

Staff quietly hurried to tape falling signage to the walls, troubleshoot the jumbotron and cook burgers and hot dogs as rain seeped through the grated ceilings of the exterior walkways. Fans, meanwhile, made a beeline for the merch booth; within hours, sales were capped at two items per fan to accommodate demand. Underneath translucent ponchos, fans donned hats, sweatshirts and T-shirts in support of the league's four teams: the Queens, the Heights, the Boston Hunters and the San Francisco Firebells. Team loyalty was largely arbitrary, though; most said they were simply happy to support the athletes and to be present to witness the league's inaugural game.

Players with the Boston Hunters and the San Francisco Firebells assist the grounds crew in rolling up the infield tarp prior to the start of the WPBL's inaugural game on Saturday, Aug. 1. Jaclyn Licht for NPR hide caption

Sabrina Robinson, the Boston Hunters' first baseman, fixes her hair in her hotel room before going out with her fellow players in the Women's Pro Baseball League on Thursday, July 30. Jaclyn Licht for NPR hide caption

Robinson (center) fist bumps her teammates at the conclusion of a preseason scrimmage prior to the WPBL's opening weekend on Thursday, July 30, in Springfield, Ill. Jaclyn Licht for NPR hide caption