Mo’ne Davis made opening day history for the Women’s Pro Baseball League, and a crowd back home watched her in action

Despite rain delays, technical difficulties, and the hurdles of modern-day sports streaming, fans packed into Two Locals Brewing Co. in University City on Saturday night to witness the debut of the Women’s Pro Baseball League halfway across the country.

The Los Angeles Queens and the New York Heights played the WPBL’s inaugural game in front of a sold-out crowd at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Ill. The Queens feature Philadelphia’s own baseball icon, Mo’ne Davis.

Davis had a crowd of family, friends, and supporters at the watch party, which was hosted by The Stoop Pigeon, a group that hosts women’s sports watch parties in Philadelphia. The family-friendly party had barbecue, raffles, games, and even cutouts of Davis’ face to celebrate not only her achievements, but the historic moment for women’s sports.

“It’s amazing to see people are coming out to support Mo’ne Davis,” Jen Leary, the founder of The Stoop Pigeon, said. “We got here at 4 o’clock, and people already were lining up, which tells you a lot about, A, her impact on the state, but B, the want and need to support women’s sports.”

The Stoop Pigeon can trace its roots to Watch Party PHL, a monthly WNBA watch party group, and plans to open a brick-and-mortar location this year.

» READ MORE: Over a decade removed from her Little League World Series moment, Mo’ne Davis is poised to make history again

Davis has been a history-maker in the sport for years, starting with her legendary Little League World Series game in 2014, when, with the Taney Dragons, she became the first girl to win and pitch a shutout. Davis, alongside many other women in the sport, had spent years being the only girl on the team — most recently for the Indianapolis Clowns of Banana Ball.

At first, Davis didn’t believe there even was going to be a professional women’s baseball league.

But others in her corner had no doubt, cheering as she appeared on the screen.

“Oh yes, yes, yes, I always knew she was going to do something great like this,” her longtime mentor and step-uncle, Tyrique, said. “She’s got that fire in her ... I aspired to be a ballplayer myself, so I taught her everything that I knew about pitching. Actually, I told her how to throw these nine different pitches, and that’s how it all started when she was a kid. Plus, she’s good — she’s really good.”

As if to prove his point, Davis scored the first run in WPBL history, on a two-run single by Maggie Foxx in the top of the first inning. The Heights answered with five runs in the bottom of the frame and led for much of the game, but the Queens rallied with a four-run seventh and won, 10-8.

The energy was shared at Marsha’s, the South Street women’s sports bar, which also hosted a watch party for the WPBL debut.

“As women’s sports grow in popularity, it’s important to have spaces to promote them,” Helen Ehrlich, Marsha’s PR coordinator and a patron, said. “We want to give people not only a place to watch them, but to really celebrate these people at the top of their field.”

Spectators at Marsha’s and The Stoop Pigeon expressed frustration over the inaccessibility of many women’s sports games. The WPBL largely is available on ESPN Select (a new name for ESPN+), with a 11 games also being televised by Scripps Sports Network. Not knowing where to find games is an issue in other leagues, too, such as soccer’s NWSL, which is broadcast on several networks, including its direct-to-consumer platform.

“We want women’s sports to be accessible everywhere,” Leary said. “Whether that’s at Stoop Pigeon or in your homes, we need to show that the demand is there.”