Sultanes Femenil crowned 2026 Mexican Softball League champions; Baylee Klingler named MVP
Sultanes Femenil delivered a dominant performance to defeat Diablos Rojos Femenil 12-1, clinching the Serie de la Reina in four games and securing the 2026 Mexican Softball League title.
Baylee Klingler led the offence, going 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs, while Czech starter Katerina Kindermannova pitched 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on six hits.
Klingler finished the series with a .533 batting average, two home runs, and seven RBIs, earning Serie de la Reina MVP honours as selected by the media at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú.
Monterrey struck early as Morgan Howe homered on the second pitch of the game to give Sultanes a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Sultanes added to their advantage in the second inning, capitalising on starter Carley Hoover. Suka Van Gurp singled, Yanina Treviño reached on an error, and Nalleli López was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Marcia Merino followed with an infield single, and Savannah Wysocki drove in another run with a base hit to left field, making it 3-0.
The lead grew in the third inning against reliever Yilian Tornés, as López delivered a two-run double to score Van Gurp and Treviño, extending the lead to 5-0.
Meanwhile, Kíndermannova was in complete control, retiring the first three innings without allowing a run and stringing together seven consecutive outs.
In the fourth inning, Howe led off with a triple and scored on a fielding error by second baseman Janae Jefferson. Later in the inning, Klingler scored from third following another defensive miscue, pushing the score to 7-0.
Diablos threatened in the bottom of the fourth by loading the bases with two outs, but Kíndermannova induced a flyout to escape the jam.
Jazmyn Jackson put Diablos on the board with a solo home run in the fifth inning. However, any momentum was quickly halted as Kíndermannova struck out Veronika Peckova with the bases loaded to end the inning.
The game was put out of reach in the sixth inning with a five-run rally, highlighted by a three-run home run from Klingler and an RBI double by Treviño.
Payton Gottshall relieved Kíndermannova in the sixth and recorded the final four outs—three by strikeout—to seal the victory and deliver Sultanes Femenil their first league championship.
The team from Monterrey qualified for the playoffs after tying in third place, with a 15-13 record; while Diablos finished with the best record during the regular season with a 20-7 mark. Sultanes defeated El Aguila in the semifinals, while Diablos beat Olmecas to reach the final series.
The title is the first in franchise history for Monterrey, which had previously fallen short in consecutive finals—losing to Charros in the league’s inaugural 2024 season and to Diablos Rojos in 2025.