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Her hair was tucked under a blue baseball cap, so you couldn’t tell she was a girl from a quick glance.

But make no mistake, she is a girl and today she made history. Marti Sementelli took center stage in a historic game between N. Hollywood’s Birmingham High and San Marcos High of Santa Barbara.

Sementelli was the starting pitcher for home team Birmingham. Visiting San Marcos also started a female pitcher, Ghazaleh Sailors. It is believed to be the first time that two high school baseball teams have faced each other with girls as starting pitchers.

Sementelli pitched a complete game and her team won 6-1. But today wasn’t just about a high school baseball game. The month of March is Women’s History Month and on the first weekend of the month, these two girls broke the gender barrier and showed the world what’s possible. They also paved the way for other girls who want to play baseball but are routinely encouraged to play the more “girl-friendly” softball.

While the most famous women’s baseball was played in the all-American Girls Professional Baseball League between 1943-54 – inspiring the movie A League of Their Own – it hasn’t been easy for women trying to play with the men.

That bar, however, moved slightly over the weekend. Birmingham may have gotten the “W” but there were only winners on the field. Both girls proved they could pitch a baseball effectively against boys and in making history they created an opportunity for all girls down the road.

These players may be small in stature, but they stand large in the field of sports history.

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