Brakettes Topple the Spirit, Heat Wave

July 14, 2013 - The Stratford Brakettes outlasted the Lyons Spirit on Sunday, taking 4-1 and 11-3 victories from their Pennsylvanian rivals on a steamy afternoon at DeLuca Field in Stratford. Elise Fortier seemed unaffected by the temperature, as she smashed three homers in the doubleheader.

Fortier's trio of blasts gave her a team-best 13 homers for the year, as she belted her way to an 8-RBI day. Two-time reigning home run champ Steffi Call hit her 11th homer of the year in the second game. The pair combined for 10 of the team's 11 RBI's in the late contest.

Sam Greiner picked up the win in the early matchup, allowing one run on five hits. She struck out four and walked three, as she improved to 18-0 for the 2013 campaign.

The lone Spirit tally came in the first, as Greiner walked leadoff batter Karen Bauer. She advanced to third on consecutive groundouts, with Courtney Hughes coming to the plate.

Hughes delivered a hard-hit single to score Bauer, giving the Spirit an early 1-0 edge.

The Brakettes responded with a four-run first inning, paced by the first of Fortier's home runs.

Denise Denis walked with two outs in the home first and stole second. She moved up a base on a wild pitch, and Call earned a walk, to put runners at the corners. Fortier then launched a three-run shot to put Stratford ahead, 3-1.

Mandie Fishback kept the rally going with a single and stole second. Becca Carden came through with a single to score Fishback for a 4-1 lead.

Neither team would score the rest of the way, as Greiner and Spirit starter Liz Gall traded scoreless innings.

Gall gave up just a pair of singles after the first, one by Call and the other by Fishback.

Sarah Maulorico led the way for the Spirit with two hits.

Call worked the win in the late game, striking out eleven and scattering six hits.

She gave up multiple runs in a game for the first time all season, but battled all day with a sore back.

The Brakettes scored in bunches in the contest, with four runs in the first frame and five more in the second.

Ashley Waters reached on a one-out double in the bottom of the first and went to third on a single by Denis. Call followed with a three-run homer to give Stratford an early 3-0 advantage.

Fortier joined in the fun with her second long ball of the day, solo shot to extend the margin to 4-0.

Danielle Kitchen hit a home run in the top of the second off Call, the first allowed by the former FAU star all season. The solo blast pulled the Spirit within 4-1.

Carden beat out an infield single in the home second and moved to second on a walk by Waters. Denis pulled a single to right to bring home Carden for a 5-1 lead, but the Brakettes were not done yet.

Call also pushed a run across with an RBI single, scoring Waters for a 6-1 lead.
Fortier put the game out of reach with her third homer of the twinbill, a three-run shot to give Stratford a 9-1 advantage.

The Spirit scored twice more in the top of the fourth, as Hughes led off with a single. Kitchen reached on an error by Waters, and a wild pitch moved both runners up. Jean Buskirk then laced a single to score two runs, narrowing the gap to 9-3.

The Brakettes closed it out in the home fifth, scoring two more to leave the Spirit on the field.

Carden led off with a single and was pushed to second on a one-out base hit by Denis. Call drove in Carden with her third hit of the game, and Fortier capped it off with her third base hit to score Denis.

The Brakettes return to action on Thursday night against the Stratford Breakers 18U.

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