Women began playing baseball at the end of the civil war. However the first professional game was played on September 11, 1875. The game was between the Blondes and the Brunettes. Baseball that day was played on a half sized field and drew approximately 200 spectators who all payed for tickets. The game was played in Springfield Illinois. The Blondes won that first game 42-38. Many people believed that they could not catch, throw or run. However, they both sure could score runs. The first five innings of the six inning game took two and a half hours to complete. You can only imagine how much time it would have taken if they went the full nine. The teams were noted for having a better fashion sense than baseball skills. Their uniforms resembled the mens uniform. However, the pants legs were shorter.

If you like a game where a lot of runs are scored, this game would have had you on the edge of your seat. The first inning started of slow, with the teams scoring a combined total of only 10 runs. The second inning had the teams scoring the most runs with a combined total of 17 runs crossing home plate. The Blondes outscored the Brunettes in every inning except one. In the fourth inning both teams scored eight runs. The Brunettes managed to take the third inning outscoring the Blondes 9 to 7. Individual honors for the most runs scored on the Blonde team went to second baseman Eva Shepard and pitcher Jennie Wyman who both plated six runs. For the Brunettes, catcher Anna Wilson and right fielder Josie Spencer both touched the plate seven times. For this game, there was only one umpire. That is a far cry from four umpires and instant replay when it comes to the home run.