Stratford Brakettes Roll Past Newtown Rock for Franchise's All-Time Win #3,500

July 15, 2011 - The Stratford Brakettes extended their winning streak Thursday night by taking two games from the last team to beat them, the Newtown (PA) Rock. The win was the team's 3,500th in their 65-year history against just 380 losses.

Stephanie Call went yard in both games of the doubleheader, giving her 18 homers on the season, the most in Brakettes’ history.

Perhaps the Brakettes were reminded recently that their last loss was against the Rock, because Stratford exploded for eleven runs in just four innings in the early contest.

Carly Normandin led off with a single and went to second on a base hit by Ashley Waters. Denise Denis reached on an error, which allowed Normandin to score. Waters raced to third and Denis reached second on the play, which put the Brakettes up 1-0.

Call came up after Denis and grounded into a fielder’s choice. The throw went home to try to nab Waters, who slid in safely for a 2-0 edge. Mandie Fishback then grounded out to shortstop, and Denis went home without a throw, putting Stratford up 3-0.

Alisa Heronema led off the second with a single and moved over when Normandin walked. Normandin was forced out at second on a grounder by Waters, bringing Denis up to the plate. Denis responded with a three-run homer, stretching the lead to 6-0. Call immediately followed with her first homer of the night, the 17th of her debut season, putting the Brakettes up 7-0.

The home run by Denis was the 48th of her career. Denis could soon become just the second player ever to hit 50 home runs as a Brakette.

Stratford scored another run in the third, with Normandin again setting the table. She tripled with one out and scored on a single by Denis, giving Stratford an 8-0 advantage.

The offensive onslaught was capped off with a three-run homer in the fourth by Normandin, her third hit of the game. Kate Bowen and Heronema had both reached on fielder’s choices and scored on the long ball by Normandin.

The lead stood at 11-0 entering the fifth. Rachele Fico retired the side in the top of the inning to capture her 16th win of the season. Fico allowed just two hits in the game and struck out 10, while walking one. Jessica Epler smashed a fourth-inning double and reached third on a sacrifice, but Fico got the next two batters to squash the Rock’s only rally.

Sara Plourde made her 2011 debut in the late game, after pitching in two games for the Brakettes in 2010. She is best known in local circles as the former Stratford Breaker pitcher who beat the Brakettes in the 2009 WMS loser’s bracket final, eliminating the home favorites from the tourney. Plourde was named the Micki Stratton Award winner as the MVP of the championships, despite losing in the final to the NYC Havoc.

Rock starting pitcher Sam Greiner matched Plourde with two scoreless innings out of the box as both pitchers started strong. Plourde is on pace to break the all-time strikeout record at UMASS, and showed off her form by fanning nine of the first ten batters she faced. Greiner did not allow a run until the third inning, when an error started a Brakette rally.

Alisa Heronema led off the third inning and reached on an error. Normandin and Waters followed with singles, and Waters’ base hit drove in Heronema for the game’s first run. Stacey Lajoie dropped a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over, bringing Call to the plate. Call laced a two-run double, scoring both Normandin and Waters for a 3-0 lead.

Call added to the tally in the fifth with her 18th blast of the year, a line drive to right-center. The solo shot put Stratford up 4-0.

Amber Radomski doubled to the fence in left-center with one out in the sixth, and scored on a base hit by Heronema. The run stretched the margin to 5-0, in favor of the Brakettes.

Plourde had a no-hitter through four innings, but allowed a one-out single to Ashley Alden in the fifth frame. After Alden was sacrificed to second, she stole third base, but Plourde struck out the next batter to retire the side.

Jess Epler picked up a hit in the sixth for the Rock, but Plourde again dug in and used a strikeout to get out of the inning. The only blemish for Plourde on the night came in the top of the seventh inning with two outs.

With the Rock down to their last out, Alden launched a fly to right that jumped over the fence on a bounce. Karli Boyer roped a ground-rule double of her own to score Alden to give the Rock their only run of the night. The score was the first earned run off Brakette pitchers in more than a month, dating back to June 12th in Lyons, PA against the Lyons Spirit.

The Brakettes and Newtown Rock will match up again Friday night at DeLuca Field in a 7:00 doubleheader. Both games will be video webcast at brakettes.com.