Brakettes Take Two to Reach WMS Title Game

August 10, 2013 - The Stratford Brakettes erased an early 1-0 lead with a seven-run second inning in the WMS Winners Bracket semifinals on Saturday, run-ruling the Stratford Seahawks 13-1 in four frames. They followed that up with a 3-1 win over the CT Charmers in the Winners Bracket Final.

Steffi Call (27-0) struck out eight in an abbreviated one-hitter in the semifinal, while issuing one walk.

The Brakettes, who were again the visitors in the game, were held scoreless in the first by Seahawk starter Anna Malory.

The Seahawks jumped ahead in the bottom of the first, when Shannon Skeggs worked a walk and scored on a double by C.J. Semones for a 1-0 Seahawk advantage.

The lead would be short-lived, as the Brakettes sent 11 batters to the plate in the second.

Mandie Fishback led off and reached on an error, before being forced out at second on a grounder by Becca Carden. The fielder's choice left Carden at first with one out, as she would be the first of nine straight batters to reach safely.

Carden stole second and went to third on a single by Jess Mouse. With runners at the corners, Amber Radomski delivered an RBI single, scoring Carden to tie the game at 1-1. Mouse went to third on the play and scored on a base hit by Kate Bowen, who took second on the relay throw.

Waters delivered another single to score Radomski, pushing the score to 3-1. Bowen was thrown out at the plate by C.J. Semones for the second out. Denise Denis followed and reached on an error, as her shot to center was mishandled. Waters scored on the error for a 4-1 advantage.

Steffi Call sent Denis to second with a single, before Elise Fortier tripled them both home to extend the margin to 6-1. Fortier came home on a base hit by Fishback, pushing the lead to 7-1.

Mariel Schlaefer pinch-hit for Radomski and started another rally in the third, smacking a single to left with one out. She stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Bowen and Waters both walked to load the bases, and Denis clobbered a ground rule double to clear the bases. The one-hopper over the fence gave the Brakettes a 10-1 lead. Denis scored on back-to-back wild pitches to close out the inning at 11-1.

The Brakettes added two more runs in the top of the fourth to give them a 12-run lead.

Emily Weiman pinch-hit for Jess Mouse and reached on an error with two outs. Britt Lampert pinch-ran for Weiman and moved up a base on Schlaefer's second hit of the game. Kate Bowen contributed a single of her own, scoring Lampert for a 12-1 advantage. Ashley Waters followed with a double, her third hit of the contest, to drive in Bowen and close out the scoring at 13-1.

Call retired the side in order to wrap up the win and struck out the last two batters she faced.

With the run rule-shortened victory, the Brakettes moved into the Winners Bracket Final on Saturday night.

The Connecticut Charmers had already qualified for the Final with a 4-3 win over the Lyons (PA) Spirit at 10:30 on Saturday morning, as Charmer centerfielder Katie Petroski launched a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to overcome a 2-1 deficit. Sydney Matzko went the distance for the victory and held off the Spirit in the bottom of the seventh, when Lyons manufactured one more run to pull within 4-3.

When the Brakettes and Charmers met in the Winners Bracket Final, the teams were already familiar with each other, as they had battled in two close games on Tuesday night in a doubleheader to close out the regular season.

The Brakettes won both of those Tuesday games, but had to work hard to earn the pair of victories. The Brakettes won the early contest 2-0, as Kate Bowen threw a no-hitter and provided the game-winning RBI in the fifth inning. In the nightcap of that twin-bill, the Charmers took a 4-0, first-inning lead. It was the first time all year that the Brakettes trailed by more than one run. Stratford came back and took the lead in the third, before holding on for a 9-6 decision.

Saturday night's Winners Bracket Final was the first game of the tournament for the Brakettes as the home team, as they won the pre-game coin toss for the first time.

Emily Weiman and Sydney Matzko went head-to-head in the contest, with a spot in the Championship Game at stake.

The Brakettes made sure to get ahead early in the matchup of the only unbeaten WMS squads, manufacturing a run with some small ball.

Bowen led off with a walk and moved up a base on a single by Waters. Denis sacrificed both runners up a base, putting two in scoring position. Call followed earned a walk to load the bases with one out. Fortier came up next and grounded out to first base, but Bowen came home on the play for the game's first run.

The Brakettes added another tally in the home second, as Becca Carden reached on a leadoff single. She moved up to second base on a groundout by Mouse and went to third on a base hit by Lampert. Bowen brought Carden home on a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead, giving Weiman some more breathing room.

Weiman, who started a 1-2-3 double play to end the first inning and get out of a bases-loaded jam, retired the side in the second and third frames.

The Charmers had only a first-inning single by Nadia Kemp until the top of the fourth, when they would pick up two more safeties. Weiman allowed singles to Tatum Buckley and Taylor Luzzi, giving the Charmers runners on the corners with one out.

With Brittany Allocca at the plate, Buckley broke for home on a suicide squeeze, but Allocca couldn't get the bunt down. Brakette catcher Jess Mouse ran Buckley back to third, and seeing no one there to receive a throw, dove toward the retreating runner at the last second to tag Buckley on the foot for the second out (photo). Weiman then induced a grounder to get out of the inning.

The Brakettes extended the margin in the bottom of the fourth, when Mandie Fishback led off with a walk. Carden reached on an error, which pushed Fishback to second, and both runners moved up a bag on a sac bunt by Mouse.

With two outs and runners at second and third, Bowen delivered a single to drive in Fishback for a 3-0 lead. Bowen accounted in part for all three Brakette runs, as she scored the first and drove in the last two.

Katie Petroski brought the Charmers closer in the top of the fifth, as she blasted a solo shot to make it 3-1. It was the second home run of bracket play for Petroski. The Charmers had another chance in the inning, as Harleigh Kaczegowicz followed Petroski with a single. She was forced out at second on a fielder's choice by Kamryn Geysen, who raced to second on a throwing error after the Brakettes tried to turn two.

Kemp came up next and grounded to Fishback at short, who threw home to Mouse for the tag. Weiman struck out the next batter to close out the inning and preserve the 3-1 lead.

The Brakettes loaded the bases again in the fifth inning, but were not able to add to the lead.

Denis led off with a single and moved up when Fortier was hit by a pitch with one out. Fishback dropped a perfect bunt, which she beat out for a single. The play put Brakettes at every base, but Matzko picked a strikeout and a groundout to get out of trouble.

Weiman worked a perfect sixth, as did Matzko, setting the stage for a dramatic seventh inning.

The Charmers were down to their last ups, but Allocca gave them hope with a leadoff infield single. Weiman got the next two batters to pop out, before walking Geysen to put two on with two outs.

With the potential go-ahead run at the plate, Weiman struck out the last batter to secure the victory and a spot in the Championship.

The Brakettes will play on Sunday at 11 am in the Championship Game against the winner of the Losers Bracket Final, to be played Sunday at 9 am. The Lyons (PA) Spirit positioned themselves for a rematch with the Charmers in that contest, by virtue of the Spirit's run through the Losers Bracket on Saturday.

The Spirit triumphed over the Stratford Seahawks in the 8:30 nightcap on Saturday, as Liz Gall pitched Lyons into Sunday play in a hard-fought 3-2 win over their long-time opponents. With the loss, the Seahawks were eliminated and finished in fourth place in the tournament.

The Spirit and Seahawks had both dropped into the Losers Bracket with their early Saturday defeats in the Winners Brackets semis, but were able to survive and advance against their respective opponents to set up the showdown in the last game of Saturday night.

The Spirit topped the Stratford Breakers in the 1:30 game behind Karen Bauer's second home run of bracket play and a strong start from Fran Carrullo. The Seahawks defeated the Jersey Fusion 10-2 in the 5:30 contest, as Alyson Chiaramonte earned the win in a six-inning, run rule-shortened decision.

The Fusion and Breakers finished the 2013 WMS tied for fifth place.

The Fusion had a dramatic, 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Mass Pride, while the Breakers held off the Diamonds, 4-3.

The Pride and Diamonds finished tied for seventh.

All WMS games at DeLuca Hall of Fame Field will be live video webcast on brakettes.com.