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Friday Night
Brakettes Dominate on Both Sides of the Field, take Two Games vs Maryland Chill
 June 29 –by Jeff Glazer – The Stratford Brakettes opened their five-game set with the Maryland Chill Friday night with two mercy-rule shortened victories, 12-1 and 11-1, at Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field. Brakettes pitching allowed just 7 hits over the two games while Mia Juodaitis hit a home run in her Brakettes debut.
Julia Handfield was on the bump for Game One. She pitched masterfully, completing the game while only allowing one run on three hits. She moves to 4-0 on the year with an ERA of 0.91.
The Brakettes got off to a hot start, jumping into the lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI double by Jolie Duffner. Not wanting to be outdone, Alex Heinen added a two-run single right after, extending the Brakettes lead to 3-0. Two more runs would come across in the inning on a Casey Harding single and a Mia Judaitis sac fly.
After a scoreless second, the Brakettes exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the third. Chill pitching struggled with their command, hitting one and walking a few in the inning, even issuing a free pass with the bases loaded, bringing a run home. Theresa Kane’s hard-hit grounder led to an error which would bring two more across. The big blow of the inning came from the ever-dangerous Duffner who lashed one into the gap for her second double and her second and third RBIs of the game. Heinen’s sac fly and Gillian Birk’s second single of the inning would plate another run each and the Brakettes led 12-0 after three.
The Chill would manage to get one run across in the fourth but it wouldn’t matter much. Handfield closed it out in the fifth and the Brakettes took Game One by a score of 12-1.
More of the same for Brakettes pitching in Game Two. Ali DuBois got the call and was just as excellent as Handfield, allowing just one run on four hits.
With two runners on in the second, Juodaitis continued her impressive debut day with a two-run double down the left field line. Val Suto would knock her in with a single and the Brakettes led by three after two.
The game would get blown open in the third with some big extra-base hits. Consecutive doubles by Duffner and Heinen, who both swung hot bats the whole day, brought home another. Casey Harding stepped up with two runners on and promptly launched one over the fence for a three-run homer, her first of the year (photo). Just two batters later, Juodaitis capped off her impressive Brakettes debut doubleheader with a home run of her own, giving her three RBIs in the game and four on the day.
DuBois loaded the bases in the Chill half of the fourth before recording an out but she was able to bunker down and force a weak ground out before retiring the next two batters on strikes, limiting the Chill threat to just one run.
Julia Handfield was called upon to pinch-hit in the bottom of the fourth with the bases loaded. Handfield proved she can deliver at the plate as well as on the mound with a two-run double. That capped off the scoring for the Brakettes and DuBois would hold the 10 run lead into the fifth where they take Game Two by a score of 11-1.
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| Friday, June 28th vs. Maryland Chill |
| First Game, 7:00 PM |
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Second Game |
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| MD CHILL |
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0 |
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3 |
| BRAKETTES |
5 |
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12 |
11 |
0 |
| Batteries: Chill- Jordan Leverett (L), Lindsay Wilson (3) and Erin Behel; Brakettes- Julia Handfield (W, 4-0) and Alex Heinen |
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| MD CHILL |
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4 |
1 |
| BRAKETTES |
0 |
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6 |
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11 |
12 |
1 |
Batteries: Chill- Alyssa Charter-Smith (L) and Erin Behel; Brakettes- Ali DuBois (W, 4-0) and Alex Heinen
Homerun: Brakettes- Casey Harding (1), Mia Juodaitis (1) |
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