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Brakettes Win Two to Take Top Spot in Pool
 August 5 - The Stratford Brakettes captured a pair of contests at the Women's Major Softball National Championship on Thursday, clinching the top seed in their pool with 8-0 and 7-5 wins over the NYC Havoc and Dutchess (NY) Debs, respectively.
Stratford blanked last year's WMS runner-ups in six innings, jumping up early on the Havoc with a four-run first. Val Suto led off the home first with a walk and stole second, before scoring the game's first run on a ground rule double to left by Britt Lampert. A fly ball to center allowed Lampert to tag up and head to third.
Sarah Bencivenga was hit by a pitch, and Patti Sciglimpaglia reached on an error, which also scored Lampert for a 2-0 lead. The miscue sent Bencivenga to third, and a walk to Jordan Whitley loaded the
bases. Hannah Cooper followed with a single to score two runs, extending the margin to 4-0.
Brakette starter Megan Good struck out nine batters in a two-hitter to earn her sixth win of the year, as she was perfect through three frames.
New York City hurler Sierra Sheehan settled down after the first inning, posting three scoreless frames in a row. However, the Brakettes broke through again in the fifth, after Nicole Flint came on in relief of Sheehan.
Lampert led off the fifth frame with a bunt single and stole second. She tagged up on a fly to right by Denis and took off for third. With two outs, Tatum Buckley walked to put runners at the corners. Patti Sciglimpaglia reached on an infield single, which plated Lampert to extend the margin to 5-0. Buckley went to second on the play, and scored on a single to right by Whitley to push it to 6-0.
Sheehan worked the only walk of the contest off Good to start the sixth, but the Brakette right-hander retired the next three batters to close out the inning.
The Brakettes tacked on two runs in the home sixth with a two-out rally, closing out the game in run-rule fashion.
After a pair of quick outs to start the frame, Suto beat out a bunt single. Lampert delivered her third hit of the game to push Suto to second, and a wild pitch moved both runners up a bag. After a walk to Denis loaded the bases, Bencivenga lined a base hit to score Suto and Lampert, putting the finishing touches on an 8-0 decision.
Brandice Balschmiter (11-0) took the circle in the late game win over the Debs, going the distance to earn the win and clinch the top spot in Pool A. She struck out 14 batters, while walking two.
Stratford jumped up 5-0 in the first inning, and looked to be well on their way to a laugher. However, the Debs fought back to within a run in the fifth, when a three-run inning close the gap to 6-5.
Suto led off the first with a bunt single and stole second, and then advanced to third on a bunt single by Lampert. Denis walked to load the bases with no outs.
Bencivenga grounded hard to the left side, and two runs came home when the ball kicked away from the shortstop. Buckley followed and walked, again loading the bases. Whitley singled to score two, stretching the lead to 4-0. Patti Sciglimpaglia grounded out to short, but the play allowed Buckley to score for a 5-0 advantage.
Jackie Macak singled up the middle for the Debs in the second, as they quickly showed that they wouldn't go down without a fight. Allysa O'Neill reached on an error, sending Macak to third, and then stole second. With two runners in scoring position, a wild pitch sent Macak home with the Deb's first run and pushed O'Neill to third. After a walk to Emily McDonough, Andrea Schoonmaker singled to score O'Neill to close the gap to 5-2.
Stratford tacked on another run in the home third, when Denis walked and stole second. With one out, Buckley singled to left-center, scoring Denis to stretch the lead to 6-2.
Four infield singles, a pair of errors, and a wild pitch allowed Dutchess to plate three runs in the fifth, as the Debs drew to within a run. Schoonmaker started the rally with her second hit of the night, and Leanna Feerick, Cat Clifford, and Amber Mianti picked up the other safeties in the inning.
The Brakettes added an insurance run in the home fifth, when Denis led off and drilled a double to right. Buckley was intentionally walked to put two on, and with two outs, Patti Sciglimpaglia singled to bring Denis home for a 7-5 lead.
Balschmiter worked a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh to close out the victory, as the Brakettes moved to 48-2 with the two pool play wins.
With the top seed in Pool A secured, the Brakettes will play in the Winner's Bracket quarterfinals Friday night at 7:00 against Team Connecticut.
The Saints won a marathon 13-inning instant classic over the Lyons (PA) Spirit, 8-6, as Madi Norman launched a two-run shot to walk off with the win.
The CT Seahawks defeated Team Connecticut 9-2 in the first WMS game of the day, and the Spirit bounced back from their extra-inning loss with a 10-0 sprint past Team Connecticut in four innings to bring the opening day to a close.
The Havoc and Dutchess Debs will match up at 9:00 Friday morning to fight for the second spot in Pool A, while the St. Louis Saints and Connecticut Seahawks will meet at 10:45 am on Friday to decide the top seed in Pool B.
All games from the 2016 Women's Major Softball National Championship will be broadcast at brakettes.com.
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Thursday, August 4th
WMS - Pool Play |
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8:30 PM |
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2 |
3 |
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4 |
5 |
6 |
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7 |
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R |
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| NYC HAVOC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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0 |
0 |
0 |
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0 |
2 |
1 |
| BRAKETTES |
4 |
0 |
0 |
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0 |
2 |
2 |
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8 |
9 |
0 |
Batteries: Havoc- Sierra Sheehan (L), Nicole Flint (5) and Linsey DeDomenico; Brakettes- Megan Good (W, 6-0) and Hannah Cooper
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1 |
2 |
3 |
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4 |
5 |
6 |
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7 |
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| DUTCHESS DEBS |
0 |
2 |
0 |
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0 |
3 |
0 |
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0 |
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5 |
8 |
1 |
| BRAKETTES |
5 |
0 |
1 |
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0 |
1 |
0 |
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x |
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7 |
12 |
3 |
Batteries: Debs- Reba Canning (L) and Jackie Macak; Brakettes- Brandice Balschmiter (W, 11-0) and Mary Sciglimpaglia, Hannah Cooper (6)
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