Brakettes' Winning Streak Ends in 10 Innings, 1-0; Stratton Ejected For First Time In Career

July 22, 2006 - by Phil Soto-Ortiz

TUCSON, ARIZ. – The Brakettes’ six-game winning streak ended Friday night at Hi Corbett Field with a 1-0, 10-inning loss to the Arizona Heat.

Heat shortstop April Valdez singled home Catalina Morris with two out in the bottom of the 10th to end a contest in which the Brakettes left 10 runners on base, committed two errors, made four baserunning miscues and saw manager John Stratton ejected for the first time in his 29-year career.

Stratton was ejected by home-plate umpire Frank Amparano for arguing a call on a popped-up bunt by the Heat that Stephanie Hill short-hopped and was unable to turn into an out. Stratton contended Amparano raised his fist in an out call, but that the runner was then allowed to run safely to first, beating the throw.

First-base coach Julie Brzezinski later was tossed as well for arguing a call at first base.

Both teams ran themselves out of several innings. The top of the sixth inning ended when Stephanie Hill struck out and Heat catcher Jackie Coburn snapped a throw to first base to pick off Andrea Duran. In the seventh, Stephanie Best was tagged out between second and third when, on a single by Aimee Minor, Denise Denis rounded third base but was held up by third-base coach Pat Fernandez. Best had rounded second and was stuck in a rundown when Denis returned to third.

Best then was thrown out at home plate for the final out of the ninth inning when she tried to score on Callie Piper’s fly ball to right field, which Arizona’s Kaleo Eldredge caught on the edge of the dirt of the baseball infield. Best stayed down for a minute after sliding hard into the tag but was able to continue.

Arizona was not much better on the basepaths. Piper threw out Morris for the first out of the sixth inning when Morris tried to steal third. Immediately after that, Nichole Thompson tried to score from second base on Toni Mascarenas’ single to left, but Adrienne Alo threw her out by about 15 feet.

The Heat pounded out 12 hits – all but one of them singles – off Brakettes’ starter Sarah Pauly, the reigning National Pro Fastpitch player of the week. Pauly, however, continually got out of jams. She struck out eight Heat batters, many at the most opportune times. She fanned Coburn to end the sixth with Mascarenas on third after two baserunning gaffes by the Heat.

Eldredge led off the bottom of the eighth with a double, and Pauly walked Morris intentionally, but then induced a foul popup near the plate to retire Thompson, then struck out Mascarenas and Coburn to end the threat.

Best kept the Brakettes in the game in the bottom of the ninth with a diving stop of Eldredge’s hard-hit bouncer up the middle with a runner on second. Best backhanded the ball, got to her feet and threw to first to nip Eldredge by a step.

In the 10th, however, the Heat took advantage of the tiebreaker situation that allows each team to start the innings with a runner on second. Pauly intentionally walked Morris. With one out, Mascarenas hit a ball toward left field. Jessica Merchant dove and gloved it, keeping the runners from scoring but loading the bases with one out. Coburn hit a bouncer to third, which Duran fielded and threw home for the second out of the inning, but Valdez then lined a two-strike pitch up the middle. It glanced off Pauly’s glove and into centerfield for the game-winning hit.

Pauly fell to 9-4 on the season despite lowering her ERA to 1.17, second in the league, with her 9.2 innings of work.

The Brakettes are back in action Saturday at 7:05 p.m. EDT in Tucson. The
game was scheduled to air on WICC-AM 600, but will be available only on the
Internet at www.ctbrakettes.com.

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