Top to Bottom Production Leads Brakettes

July 7, 2013 - The Stratford Brakettes improved their 2013 record to 34-0 over the weekend, thanks to a pair of run rule-shortened wins over the CT Angels on Sunday night at DeLuca Field. Stratford prevailed 12-2 and 8-0, as they clobbered four homers and pounded out 31 hits in the doubleheader.

Elise Fortier homered in both games, while Denise Denis and Steffi Call both went yard in the late matchup.

Sam Greiner improved to 14-0 with a five-inning victory in the first game. She gave up just two hits, while striking out four and surrendering three walks. The two Angel runs scored in the top of the fifth were unearned, as the Brakettes made an uncharacteristic three errors in the frame.

Call worked the late game and struck out 12 in six innings, as she pushed her record to 17-0. She scattered five hits and allowed two walks.

The Brakettes wasted little time in getting out ahead in the opener, as they scored twice in the first inning. Ashley Waters doubled with one out and scored on a single by Denis for a 1-0 edge. Denis stole second base and was driven in by Fortier with two outs. The score stood at 2-0 going into the second frame.

Stratford blew the game open in the bottom of the second, as they scored seven runs on six hits.

Jess Mouse led off with a triple to the fence in left. She scored on a suicide squeeze by Amber Radomski to push the lead to 3-0. Britt Lampert followed and pushed Radomski over to second with a base hit. Kate Bowen connected on a double to left, which scored both runners for a 5-0 advantage.

After a base hit by Denis, Bowen came home on an RBI single by Call, extending the margin to 6-0.

Fortier rocked the first of her two home runs on the night with Denis and Call in scoring position, after an error allowed both base runners to move up an extra bag. The three-run shot was her ninth of the year and gave her the team-lead in homers for 2013. The Brakettes handed Greiner a 9-0 lead as she went back out for the third inning.

Greiner worked out of trouble in the third stanza, after putting Julianne Vincent on base with a one-out walk. Stacy Pokora lined a ground rule double to right field, which went under the fence and limited Vincent to third.

The crafty right-hander responded with a pair of strikeouts in a tough spot, stranding two Angel runners in scoring position to end the inning.

After a scoreless home third, the Brakettes cracked the scoreboard again in the fourth. Denis led off and picked up her third hit of the game, then stole second. She advanced to third on a single by Fortier and scored on a base hit by Becca Carden. The tally brought the score to 10-0. Radomski smashed a ground rule double to left-center to plate Carden and Mouse, putting Stratford up 12-0.

The Angels scored two in the top of the fifth, as the Brakettes committed three errors. Nicole DiBlasio and Jillian Masi both reached on miscues and scored runs for Connecticut. Eileen Ornovsky capped their rally with an RBI double, but Greiner retired the next batter to secure the decision.

Initially, the second game served as a stark contrast to the first. Not only did the Angels threaten early in the game, but the Brakettes managed just one run through the first three frames.

Julianne Vincent led off and doubled to right, then was sacrificed to third by Pokora. Olivia Gozdz grounded to the left side, and Waters threw home to try to get Vincent, who broke on contact.

Mouse blocked the plate and received the throw from Waters just in time to tag Vincent for the second out (photo). Ornovsky picked up her second hit of the night after the fielder’s choice, but Call induced a 4-3 groundout to set down the side.

Denis provided the only early offense with a two-out solo shot in the first, her seventh homer of the year and 73rd of her career.

Angels' starter Jen Joseph kept the Brakettes off the board again in the second and third innings, stranding five runners in the process. Stratford left the bases loaded in the second frame.

Meanwhile, Call established herself in the circle. She struck out two in the second and third innings, before fanning three in the fourth.

The Brakettes finally broke the game open in the fourth, as they tacked on four more runs with two outs.

Mouse doubled with one out in the fourth and came home on a two-out double by Britt Lampert. Sam Greiner joined in the offensive push with a double of her own, driving in Lampert for a 3-0 lead. Bowen gave the Brakettes their third-straight RBI double to left-center score Greiner, and Bowen scored on a single by Waters to extend the margin to 5-0.

Call momentarily tied Fortier with her ninth homer of the season, a solo shot which gave the Brakettes a 6-0 lead. But Fortier followed and again separated herself from the pack, smashing her tenth long ball of the year for a 7-0 advantage.

The Brakettes closed out the game in the sixth inning via the run rule, when Bowen was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Waters picked up her second single if the game to move Bowen up a bag, and an RBI single by Denis scored Bowen and ended the contest.

Denis contributed six hits on the day for the Brakettes, while Fortier and Mouse both had four.

The Brakettes return to action with a 7:00 doubleheader on Thursday night against the Newtown (PA) Rock.

All Brakettes' 2013 home games are live video webcast at brakettes.com.