Brakettes Off and Running in Pennsylvania

June 7, 2008 - The Stratford Brakettes opened the 2008 season Friday night in Blandon, PA, sweeping a doubleheader from the Outten Trailblazers by 11-0 and 12-0 tallies. Relying on an explosive offense and dominant pitching, the Brakettes appeared to be in mid-season form, totaling 26 hits for the evening. Both games were shortened to five innings because of the mercy rule.

Brandice Balschmiter set the tone in the first game, striking out nine in five innings, and walking none. Coming off an All-American junior season at UMASS, the tall right-hander worked ahead in counts, and allowed just a double in the fifth.

Trailblazer pitcher Jodie Swavely allowed two runs in the first and one in the second, before blanking Stratford in the third. The Brakettes clobbered four triples in the fourth inning, including two by Jenna Lopez, en route to a seven-run outburst. Eleven batters went to the plate in the frame, as the Brakettes broke the game open.

Ashley Waters recorded a triple and a double and scored two runs, while Mandy Fishback had two hits and scored three times. Whitney Mollica and Jess Serio, both teammates of Balschmiter's at UMASS, each had two hits as well.

Leslie Malerich pitched the nightcap, striking out eight and allowing one hit. She worked in and out of trouble, even loading the bases in the fifth. After back-to-back walks with two outs, Tonya Lance came to the plate with the Trailblazers' best scoring opportunity of the night. Malerich caught Lance looking at a changeup to end the game, moving the Brakettes to 2-0 on the season.

Former Brakette pitcher Jen Huyett (Schroeder) started for the Trailblazers, and warned her teammates about what they would face in the Brakettes’ lineup. "I like to say that I’m the grandmother of the club", joked Schroeder. In actuality, she and her husband recently welcomed the birth of their second child. "It’s exciting to still be pitching, but now back home against the Brakettes."

Once again, the Brakettes broke open a close game with the benefit of one big inning. After Amber Radomski’s two-run single in the first put Stratford up 2-0, the Brakettes put the game away in the third stanza, as they sent 14 batters to the plate.

Whitney Mollica led off the third, and promptly launched a 260-foot home run over the left field fence. After a Serio single and a walk by Radomski, Bailey Sanders moved both runners up 60 feet with a sacrifice bunt. Elisa Van Kirk then lined a double to score Serio and Radomski, bringing up Lopez with a 5-0 lead. The Brakettes' centerfielder responded with her first homer as a Brakette, plating two more runs, and putting Stratford up 7-0.

Waters walked and scored on a triple by Laura Trout, who then scored when Fishback singled to center. Fishback eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Serio, and the score stood at 10-0.

The Brakettes added two more runs in the fourth, before being retired in order in the fifth.

Trout went 3-for-3 in the late game, with three runs scored. Mollica had three hits and scored twice, and Fishback also added two hits.

Stratford will be back in action Saturday night at 7:00 vs. the Pennsylvania Spirit in Lyons, PA. The doubleheader will feature the pitching debut of Sanders, who missed all of last season with an injury. The Brakettes will finish the Pennsylvania road trip with a 12:00 noon doubleheader on Sunday with their longest-standing rivals, the Topton VIP’s.

All Brakettes games are broadcast live right here at www.brakettes.com.