STRATFORD BRAKETTES HOST NATIONAL TOURNAMENT THURSDAY

July 28, 2010 - The second annual Women's Major Softball National Championship tournament opens Thursday, July 29 with eight games on tap at Frank Biondi Field in West Haven. Thursday's games are pool play with the teams seeded into the double-elimination bracket after they have played two games each.

The 28-time National champion Stratford Brakettes play the TC Tremors of Binghamton, NY, at 11:15 a.m., the third game of Session #1. Defending WMS champion NYC Havoc play the Mirage Gold of Greater Hartford in the tourney opener at 8 a.m. followed by the St. Louis Saints v. New York Freedom of East Islip, NY, contest at 9:30. The losers of the 8 and 9:30 games play at 12:45 p.m., while the winners of those games play at 2:30 p.m. to complete Pool B play.

Session #2 begins at 5 p.m. with Opening Ceremonies. The Lyons, PA, Spirit and New York Freedom meet at 5:30 p.m. The winner of that game will play the winner of the Brakettes-Tremors contest at 7:15 with the losers of the 11:15 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. games meeting at 9 p.m. to cap Pool A activity. Friday features two sessions with the quarter-final games starting at 9 a.m. The evening session features the winner's bracket semi-finals at 6:15 and 8 p.m. Two sessions are on tap Saturday, highlighted by the winner's bracket final at 7:45 p.m. and the event concludes Sunday with two games, and the "if necessary game", starting at 10:15 a.m.

Tournament passes and single-session tickets are on sale at Biondi Field. All tournament games will be video webcast on www.brakettes.com.

Tournament website