Denis Now Second on Career Home Run Chart

June 30, 2011 - Denise Denis added her second homerun of the season on Sunday against the Stratford Seahawks, passing Brakettes' legendary first baseman and Olympic Gold Medalist Sheila Cornell for second place on the team’s career home run list with 45.

Denis is also tied with Germaine Fairchild and Pat Dufficy for the Brakettes’ single-season home run title with 15, a record she matched in 2009. She followed that mark with a career second-best 10 long balls in 2010.

Denis is no stranger to success on the diamond, having starred at UMASS from 2002-2005. She batted .360 as a senior and was named an Atlantic 10 All-Conference pick. A former member of the Adirondack (NY) Ice, Denis started her career with the Brakettes in 2005. She quickly showed off her power swing by launching six homers that year.

When the Brakettes started the professional NPF Connecticut Brakettes in 2006, Denis also made the transition. She served as the team’s right fielder and hit two more home runs, although the NPF stats do not count toward the Stratford Brakettes’ all-time mark.

Denis returned to the Stratford Brakettes when the pro team folded after one season and began her march up the Brakettes’ all-time charts in earnest. She smacked five more long balls in 2007 and another seven in 2008.

Denis is a career .411 hitter for the Brakettes and is batting .353 in 2011. She has 327 career hits, including 57 doubles, and 29 triples. She has scored 262 runs while contributing 227 RBI’s.

“I can’t say enough about what Denise has meant to this team”, said Brakettes’ manager John Stratton. “She has just been super from day one. Denise used to kill us at the plate when she played for the Adirondack Ice, so we just had to go out and ask her to play for us. She’s a professional, period.”

Brakettes Briefs: Becca Carden picked up her first home run as a Brakette on Sunday in the early game against the Puerto Rico Junior National Team. She followed that with another long ball in the second contest against the Stratford Seahawks.

Stephanie Call also hit a homer in both games of the doubleheader, while Kristyn Sandberg also homered in the first game.

Rachele Fico and Brandice Balschmiter both improved to 7-0 with wins on Sunday.

The Brakettes defeated the Puerto Rico Junior National Team 14-0 and the Seahawks 9-0 to improve to 18-0 on the year. They have now won 74 games in a row, dating back to June 4, 2010.