KOBE, Japan — Japan's first female professional baseball player struggled with her control and took her first loss.

Eri Yoshida, a 17-year-old who throws a sidearm knuckleball, took the mound in the ninth inning with the score tied 2-2.

With two outs and a runner on third base, Yoshida threw a wild pitch allowing the winning run to score Friday as the Akashi Red Soldiers won 3-2 against the Kobe Cruise 9.

Yoshida also hit a batter with a pitch and threw wildly to first base trying to hold a runner before recording the final out with a strikeout.

Yoshida created a stir when she signed a contract in December. Some speculated the move was more of a publicity stunt to generate interest in the four-team Kansai Independent League, which has struggled amid Japan's worsening economic conditions.

The 5-feet, 114-pound Yoshida has appeared in only three of the Cruise 9's 22 games this season.