Brakettes Hold On to Beat Akron 3-2

June 15, 2006 - The Connecticut Brakettes extended their win streak to begin their professional era to six games, edging out the defending NPF champion Akron Racers 3-2 at DeLuca HOF Field, Thursday night. Nikki Myers continued her great pitching, going the distance, and striking out nine. Myers scattered four hits and allowed two unearned runs, while relying on some timely hitting by Brakette bats.

The Brakettes started the scoring with two outs in the top of the third inning. Aimee Minor was hit by a pitch thrown by Racer hurler Brandee McArthur. Stephanie Best followed with a single up the middle to bring up Stephanie Hill. Hill lined a 1-1 pitch the opposite way to right-center field, good for two RBI's and a standup double.

Denise Denis added to the tally in the bottom of the fifth, launching a solo shot to right field, for her first home run in her professional career. Denis hit .328 with six homers and 37 RBI’s last year for the amateur Stratford Brakettes, and jumped at the opportunity to play again this year. "I love playing here in front of these loyal fans. They appreciate your effort and especially the fact that so many of us played for the Brakettes in the past," said Denis. "Tonight, I just wanted to get a good look at McArthur. I saw the spin on the pitch I hit, and I was able to jump on it."

The Racers had two runners on with two outs in the top of the seventh, but Myers got Amber Hall swinging on a changeup to end the game. "I had my changeup working really nice tonight. It’s not usually my best pitch, but I was able to keep their batters off-balance with it." The win moves Myers to 3-0 in NPF play, with a perfect 0.00 ERA, while McArthur took the loss for Akron.

The Brakettes improved their record to 6-0, while the Akron Racers dropped to 5-3 in the NPF standings. The two teams will meet up again for a game Friday night at 7:05 at Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field in Stratford, CT.

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