Brakettes Turn Back Saints in Rematch of 2010 WMS Title Game

June 20, 2011 - Severe thunderstorms and heavy rains cancelled the 46th Annual Saints Invitational in St. Louis this past weekend, but the Brakettes and Saints salvaged Sunday with an afternoon doubleheader. The Brakettes swept the rematch of last year's WMS Championship, winning 4-0 and 6-0 in Millstadt, IL .

Manager John Stratton and the Brakettes had just landed in St. Louis Friday when the skies opened up. Driving 45 miles to their hotel in Illinois proved to be a tricky task, as water accumulated on the highways and lightning knocked down a large tree across Rte. 3 in Waterloo, IL .

After a potential seven tournament games were washed out, the Brakettes shook off the rust and set their sights on the rescheduled twin-bill against their Midwest rivals.

Stratford relied on gritty pitching performances by Brandice Balschmiter and Rachele Fico to shut down the Saints’ attack, while getting a pair of triples from both Stephanie Call and Jordan Paolucci.

Paolucci’s first three-base hit came in the second inning of the first contest, driving in Becca Carden from first for a 1-0 lead. Carden had led off the inning with a single to right.

The Saints had numerous chances in the game, but Balschmiter dug in and shut down every potential rally. St. Louis stranded six runners in scoring position, including four at third base. Balschmiter twice escaped 2nd -and-3rd situations with just one out, striking out 10 while allowing five hits and a walk.

That 1-0 margin would stand into the sixth inning, when the Brakettes gave Balschmiter some insurance.

Mandie Fishback led off the frame with a single and went to second on a long fly ball by Call. The towering shot was misplayed in left field, resulting in an error and two on with no outs.

Carden was called on to bunt the runners over and did so successfully. Fishback was then able to race home from third on a wild pitch to give the Brakettes a 2-0 advantage.

Melissa Mancuso led off the top of the seventh with a walk and Ashley Waters moved her over with a single. Call put the game out of reach with two outs, drilling the first of her triples, a sky-high 250-foot shot to deep center. The blast drove in both Mancuso and Waters for a 4-0 lead.

Balschmiter struck out three in the seventh inning to improve to 4-0 on the season.

Fico showed some of her 2010 WMS brilliance in the late game, retiring the first 10 Saints she faced. Fico allowed just a pair of singles and took a no-hitter into the sixth. She struck out 14 batters and fanned each of the St. Louis starters at least once.

Ashley Hall was the only Saint with multiple hits on the day, going 3-for-7 with a triple and a walk. Jenna Wood picked up a base hit and a walk for the Saints over the doubleheader, as did Brittney Fisher.

Former University of Iowa star Amanda Zust drew the pitching duties in the first game, allowing one run on three hits and a pair of walks in four innings. She struck out one before being relieved in the fifth by Kelli Zache, who struck out four Brakettes. The order swapped for the second game, as Zust took over for Zache in the second inning.

The Brakettes had their way at the plate with the Saints in the encore. They pounded out seven hits and took advantage of four walks.

Waters walked with one out in the first and reached second on a walk by Fishback. Call responded with an RBI single to score Waters for a 1-0 edge.

Stratford built the lead in the second when Alisa Heronema looped a one-out double to left field. Carly Normandin reached on a single to left, moving Heronema to third and giving Waters runners at the corners with one out. Waters then drove in Heronema with a single, pushing the lead to 2-0. Heronema also picked up a single and a stolen base in the fourth inning.

Call again provided the separation with a two-run triple, scoring Normandin and Waters for a 4-0 lead. Call drove in five runs for the afternoon.

Stratford added to the tally in the seventh, starting with a one-out single by Carden. The first-year left fielder scampered to second on a wild pitch and went home on Paolucci’s second triple in as many games. Amber Radomski closed out the scoring at 6-0 with an RBI single to score Paolucci.

The Brakettes improved to 12-0 on the year with the pair of wins. They will wrap up their Midwest trip with two games Tuesday night at 8 ET against the St. Peter’s Outburst in Manchester, Missouri . The games will NOT be webcast, although line scores will be updated every half-inning at www.brakettes.com.

The Brakettes would again like to thank Ed and Maureen Martz and the entire St. Louis Saints organization for their tremendous hospitality these last few days.

Stratford will play two this Thursday at DeLuca Field against the Stratford Breakers. Puerto Rico will come in for two games on Friday night, and the Stratford Seahawks will provide the opposition for a doubleheader on Saturday. All this weekend’s HOME matchups are scheduled for 7 pm and will be video webcast at www.brakettes.com.