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Friday Niight
Brakettes Earn Two Tough Wins Friday Night
 July 11, 2015 - The Stratford Brakettes faced a pair of worthy foes on Friday at DeLuca Field, but pulled out 5-0 and 2-0 victories against the New York City Havoc and New Jersey Rampage, respectively. Britt Lampert’s two-run triple opened up a close game in the early matchup with the Havoc, while Cassie Ruscz drove in both runs in the nightcap victory over the Rampage.
Brandice Balschmiter tossed a gem in the win over New York City, as she took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. She struck out eight, while giving up just two singles in the outing to improve to 8-2 on the season.
Havoc starter Nicole Flint held the Brakettes at bay until the home fourth, when Stratford scored twice with two outs. Tatum Buckley reached on an infield single and scored on a double to right-center by Sarah Bencivenga. Ruscz followed with a single to send Bencivenga home for a 2-0 edge.
Katie Petroski started another rally with a leadoff double in the fifth, taking third on an infield single by Val Suto, who then stole second. Lampert came up next and launched her triple to the fence in right, scoring Petroski and Suto for a 4-0 margin. Lampert scampered home on a wild pitch to push the lead to 5-0.
Melanie Pellegrino got the Havoc’s first safety with one out in the sixth, while Katie Flynn picked up a base hit in the seventh with two outs. Balschmiter retired the next batter to close out the win for the Brakettes, who scattered nine hits in the game.
Laura Ricciardone (8-2) pitched a dominant second game against the Rampage, striking out 15 in a three-hit shutout.
UCONN pitcher Chelsea Eckert took to the circle for New Jersey in the late contest, striking out six Brakettes in a gritty performance. She surrendered two runs on seven hits, but stranded 11 runners in six innings.
Bencivenga started the second inning with a single to center, and scored on a single to the fence in right by Ruscz. Eckert would buckle down and keep the Rampage within reach, as the score held at 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth.
Jordan Whitley reached on a base hit while leading off the sixth, and went to third on a double by Elena Bowman. After a walk by Buckley, Ruscz lifted a sacrifice fly to score Whitley for a 2-0 lead.
After the Brakettes tacked on the insurance run, Ricciardone retired the side in order in the top of the seventh to seal the deal. She struck out at least two batters in every inning but the first, when she fanned one.
The New York City Havoc and New Jersey Rampage will return to DeLuca Field on Saturday, as they play each other at 3:00, as part of a tripleheader with the Brakettes. Stratford will take on the Rampage at 5:00, and then close out the weekend of softball with a 7:00 matchup against the Havoc. |
Friday night, July 10th
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| 7:00 PM vs. NYC Havoc |
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8:30 PM vs. New Jersey Rampage |
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7 |
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R |
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| NYC HAVOC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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0 |
0 |
0 |
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0 |
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0 |
2 |
0 |
| BRAKETTES |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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2 |
3 |
0 |
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x |
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5 |
9 |
0 |
Batteries: Havoc- Nicole Flint (L), Alyson Chiaramonte (5) and Linsey DeDomenico; Brakettes- Brandice Balschmiter (W, 8-2) and Elena Bowman
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7 |
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| NJ RAMPAGE |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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0 |
0 |
0 |
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0 |
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0 |
3 |
1 |
| BRAKETTES |
0 |
1 |
0 |
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0 |
0 |
1 |
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x |
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2 |
7 |
0 |
Batteries: Rampage- Chelsea Eckert (L) and Dominique Pinto; Brakettes- Laura Ricciardone (W, 8-2) and Kaley Kempf
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