BRAKETTES RETURN TO ACTION THURSDAY

June 13, 2007 - The Stratford Brakettes begin a 16-game home stand Thursday night at Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field when they host the Connecticut Pink Panthers in a 7 o’clock doubleheader. The defending ASA Women’s Major Champions also will be in action Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Connecticut Classics.

The Brakettes management has announced that all youth league softball players who wear their uniform jersey to the game will be admitted free for the entire 2007 season schedule.

Last weekend the Brakettes swept three doubleheaders in Pennsylvania to raise their overall record to 12-0. They outscored the Patriot Gators, Topton VIPs and Allentown Blasters by a 61-4 margin as they collected 86 hits.

Once again Manager John Stratton will send Brandice Balschmiter (6-0, 0.00 ERA, 57 strikeouts in 36 innings) and Candice Freel (6-0, 0.78 ERA, 45 strikeouts in 36 innings) to the mound against the Pink Panthers, an 18-and-under team that will be playing in the Canada Cup and the ASA Gold tournament in Oklahoma City next month.

Leading the Brakettes at the plate is rookie Chelsea Bramlett, a switch-hitting utility player from Mississippi State. Bramlett collected 14 hits in 23 at bats last weekend for a .609 average. Florida Atlantic second baseman Mandie Fishback is next with a .587 mark (18-for-31) and she leads the club with three home runs and 14 RBI.

Other top hitters thus far are utility player Amber Radomski (.429), shortstop Courtney Bures (.375), first baseman Steph Hill (.360), third baseman Whitney Mollica (.341, 10 RBI) and infielder Beth Boden (.333), who has four extra base hits, including two home runs, among her five safeties thus far.

The Pink Panthers feature many upstate collegiate and scholastic standouts. Two-time All-State pitcher Stephanie Pereyo, who plays at Mercy College, NCAA Division III All-America outfielder Sara Krolikowski of Mitchell College, Southington High All-Stater Ashley Bessoni, two-time All-State shortstop Ali Truss of St. Paul High School and Bristol Central’s Amanda McPhee are some of the other top Pink Panther players.

BRAKETTES BRIEFS- Pitcher Leslie Malerich, who will rejoin the club for their women’s major title defense in South Bend, IN, August 4-7, pitched a no-hitter with seven strikeouts Wednesday as Italy clinched the top seed in Pool A of the Pan European-Africa Olympic qualifier in Italy. Malerich also stopped Europe’s second-ranked team, Holland, earlier in the tournament with a one-hitter and six strikeouts. The 4-0 Italians need three more wins to capture a berth in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. . . Joining the Brakettes tonight will be outfielder Sari-Jane Jenkins of Oregon. She hit .386 for Kathy Arendsen’s 44-18 club and stole 38 bases in 44 attempts. . . Killian Roessner, the Brakettes’ 2006 batting champ, will make her debut Saturday against the Classics. Roessner recently completed summer school courses after leading the LSU Lady Tigers to a berth in the NCAA Super Regionals. She earned first-team All-America honors this year as she hit .468 and drove in 55 runs.