Brakettes Tie Stratford Fire Department 5-5 in Thrilling Nine Innings

June 27 - By Connor Pignatello - The Brakettes tied the Stratford Fire Department 5-5 in a dramatic nine inning game Sunday in the annual matchup between the two teams. All proceeds from the game went to the family of fallen New Haven firefighter Ricardo Torres Jr.

Brakettes’ center fielder Val Suto robbed the firefighters of home-runs on back-to-back plays in the eighth to preserve a 4-3 lead, but Fred Maler hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Fire Department a 5-4 advantage. Kristen Acocella hit a 3-2 bloop single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 5, but the game ended in a tie because exhibition games do not continue into extra innings.

Firefighter center fielder Mike Bruneau started the scoring in the third inning, crushing a no-doubt home run to deep left field. This wasn’t the first time Bruneau has cleared the fences at Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field -- he also hit a home run in the 2017 matchup.

Despite 24 innings of work in the past three days including ten innings yesterday, Brakettes pitcher Sarah Lawton started for the Fire Department. Lawton allowed five runs on seven hits to her Brakettes teammates and compiled 13 strikeouts.

For her first six innings of work, Lawton only allowed a single run. But with one out in the bottom of the seventh, Gillian Birk smashed a three-run home run -- her second in as many nights -- to give the Brakettes a 4-3 lead.

Now facing their first deficit of the contest, the firefighters tried to strike back, but Suto had other plans. Firefighter extra hitter Mike Camperlengo led off the eighth inning by driving a Maddie Procyk pitch deep into straightaway center field.

“He hit it hard and really high so I had time to get to the fence,” said Suto. “When you’re at the fence you just go for it, so I just jumped as high as I could for it and caught it in my glove.”

But she wasn’t done yet.

With one out, Firefighters’ right fielder Kyle Stuart crushed a Procyk offering deep into the left-center gap.

“I heard Becca [Johnson] in right field go ‘Do it again!’ and right when she said it that’s when I jumped and I got it,” said Suto.

(see 2 1/2 minute webcast clip of Val's catches)

Although Suto said she had never robbed a home run before, she robbed two on consecutive plays. The crowd and her teammates gave her yet another standing ovation.

After Maler’s two-run home run in the top of the ninth, the Brakettes capitalized on shoddy firefighter fielding to score junior Brakette call up Cassi Barbato to tie the contest at five.

The Brakettes return on Thursday, July 1 with a doubleheader against the Junior Brakettes at 7 pm.