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BRAKETTES OPEN 69TH SEASON OF PLAY FRIDAY NIGHT AT DELUCA FIELD
June 4, 2015- Playing their 69th consecutive season of women's major fastpitch softball, the Brakettes host the Queens, NY, Lady Rangers in a 7 p.m. doubleheader Friday night at Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field. They will be home Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. in doubleheaders against the Lyons, PA, Spirit.
Entering his 21st year at the helm, and approaching his 1,100 career win, manager John Stratton has managed the Brakettes to five straight Women's Major Softball National Championships and a 311-08 record since 2010. Last year's team compiled a 50-4 record, but only seven members of it return. “We are facing the highest turnover of the roster in many years,” said Stratton.
Anchoring the pitching staff once again will be Brandice Balschmiter, who begins her ninth year with the team, and who also took a two-year break to play in the pros midway through her career. Since returning in 2010 she has been nothing short of dominant with a 79-2 record. Last year she posted a 15-0 mark with 130 strikeouts in 85 innings of work.
Providing assistance on the mound will be recent Harvard grad Laura Ricciardone, a 5-foot-10 righty from Slidell, LA and second-year Brakette Tatum Buckley, the former two-time Gatorade Player of the Year at Masuk High. Buckley had a fine freshman season at Florida Atlantic and legendary Brakettes all-star Joan Joyce. Buckley hit .319, while she was 3-2 on the mound for the 37-7 Owls, who lost to recently-crowned NCAA champion Florida in the Jacksonville, FL, Regionals.
Offensively, the Brakettes will rely upon all-time home run queen Denise Denis of Saratoga Springs, NY. A regular with the ballclub since 2005, Denis surpassed Pat Dufficy for the career home run lead last summer and now has 93. Denis hit 16 home runs, drove in 56 runs, and led the club with a .488 batting average. Catcher Elena Bowman of Manhattan College starts her second year behind the plate for the Brakettes. Bowman finished with a.407 batting average, seven home runs, and 37 RBI in her rookie campaign. She also handled the bulk of the catching chores.
Also back from last year's club is veteran player-coach Amber Radomski of Easton. Radomski had a solid season with a .393 average, four home runs and 23 RBI, playing both third base and first base. Brittany Lampert (.356) of Shelton and Concordia, NY, College, is back for her third year, and Tufts' University first baseman Cassie Ruscz (.250, 11 RBI in 18 games) are the other returnees.
The Brakettes have several marque events on their schedule, highlighted by the June 14 exhibition game against the Bridgeport Bluefish at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard. That game begins at 7:05 p.m. and the Brakettes will be selling tickets this weekend for that event. The Chinese National 23-U team plays at DeLuca Field on June 11, while he Canadian National Team visits DeLuca Field June 25-27 for six games. They are the World's third-ranked team.
The Brakettes continue their policy of admitting all youth league teams and their coaches for free. Teams interested in having a special night at DeLuca Field should contact the Brakettes team office at (203) 378-7262 or via e-mail, brakettes05@hotmail.com. Season passes will be on sale throughout the weekend and the Coastal Cordsmen will be on and to sing the national anthem Friday night. All Brakettes games are video webcast throughout the season, and can be viewed by clicking the WEBCAST link at upper right.
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