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Talcik, Abramson Save the Day for Brakettes
 July 21 - The Stratford Brakettes swept a doubleheader from the Connecticut Seahawks on Thursday night at DeLuca Field, but the pair of wins did not come easy for the local favorites. After a 12-4 run-rule victory in game one, the Brakettes trailed the Seahawks in the nightcap, 5-4, and were down to their last strike with pitcher Kaysee Talcik at the plate.
Talcik blasted an opposite field, three-run home run to leave the stunned Seahawks on the field and give the Brakettes an improbable 7-5 victory. It was the first homer as a Brakette for Talcik, who had just one hit in seven at-bats on the season prior to the game-winner.
Abramson (4-0) was the third pitcher of the contest for Stratford when she entered at the start of the third inning, with the Brakettes trailing, 5-2. She shut down the Seahawks the rest of the way, striking out seven batters in five innings to earn the win.
Talcik also picked up the win in the first contest, as she improved to 4-1 on the season. She struck out seven, while surrendering six hits and a walk.
The Brakettes were quickly off to the races in the opener, as they plated four runs in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs in the frame, Denise Denis walked and stole two bases. After Jolie Duffner worked a walk off Seahawks starter Olivia Vadas, Denis scampered home on a single by Lauren Pitney.
Noel Lent came up with two runners on and crushed her first homer as a Brakette to left-center. The towering, three-run dinger gave the Brakettes an early 4-0 cushion.
Neither team could manage a score for the next three innings, until the Seahawks got on the board in the fifth.
Samantha Schiebe led off the top of the fifth with an infield single, and was moved to second on a sac bunt by Kayla Resto. Meagan McFarland singled up the middle to push Schiebe to third, and took second on the relay throw home. The throw from center scooted away from the cutoff, sending Schiebe home for Connecticut's first run. McFarland ended up at third on the error, and scored on a sac fly by Brittany Romero, pulling the Seahawks to within 4-2.
Val Suto started another Brakette rally in the home fifth with a bunt single and a steal of second base. Denis delivered an RBI single up the middle, scoring Suto for a 5-2 margin. Jolie Duffner followed and lined a two-run shot over the fence in right-center, her second homer of the season. The blast extended the lead to 7-2.
Pitney came up next and crushed a homer of her own, a solo shot to left-center, making it an 8-2 game. It was Pitney's third long ball of 2017.
The Seahawks again closed the gap in the top of the sixth, when they scored two more.
Alexa Bacoulis doubled with two outs in the inning, and Kaitlyn Flood smashed a two-run homer to pull the Seahawks within 8-4.
Abramson led off the bottom of the sixth for the Brakettes with a walk and reached second on a wild pitch. Casey Harding singled to send Abramson to third, and a walk by Megan Hodgdon loaded the bases.
Amber Radomski grounded into a fielder's choice, which saw Abramson forced out at home. The Seahawks tried to get Radomski at first, but the throw caromed away, allowing Harding to score. A wild pitch sent Hodgdon home for a 10-4 game, and pushed Radomski to second.
Gabby Laccona followed with her first home run as a Brakette, a two-run shot to center, which gave Stratford a 12-4 run-rule victory in six innings.
The Seahawks took the early lead in the nightcap, as they went up 1-0 in the first frame.
Romero led off with a single and went to second on a wild pitch. She scored on a long fly ball to right, which was uncharacteristically dropped by Denis. The unearned run made it 1-0, but the Brakettes came right back in the bottom of the frame.
Laccona tripled with one out in the first and scored on a groundout by Denis, tying it up at 1-1. Duffner singled and Pitney walked, and a double by Lent scored Laccona for a narrow, 2-1 Brakette lead.
Connecticut returned the volley and scored four in the second inning, knocking starter Nicole Williams out of the game.
Schiebe doubled to start the second and went to third on a wild pitch. Resto singled up the middle to drive her in and tie it up at 2-2.
Caley Ruggiero followed and singled to right, sending Resto to third on the play. McFarland reached on an infield single, scoring Resto and again putting the Seahawks up on top, 3-2. Talcik came on in relief after the base hit, but Romero promptly singled up the middle to plate Ruggiero for a 4-2 lead.
After the ball was misplayed in centerfield by Suto, McFarland raced to third, and Romero headed to second. McFarland sprinted home on a passed ball, but was tagged out at home after Hodgdon got a beneficial bounce off the backstop and gunned it to the Talcik at the plate.
Romero moved up to third on the play and scored when Nicole Koshes reached on a base hit, extending the Seahawks' lead to 5-2.
Pitney started off the fourth by reaching on a fielding error by Connecticut starter Schiebe, and took second on the play when a late throw to first kicked away from the bag. With two outs, Harding singled through the hole on the left side to score Pitney, narrowing the gap to 5-3. Hodgdon singled to put two on, and Radomski drove Harding in with a base hit of her own, pulling the Brakettes to within a run at 5-4.
The Brakettes and Seahawks traded scoreless innings in the both the fifth and sixth, before Stratford's late rally in the seventh.
Harding started the final rally with a one-out double down the line in left. Hodgdon walked to put two runners on, but after a pop-up by Radomski in foul territory was hauled in for the second out, the Brakettes were down to their last out.
Talcik fought hard at the plate against Scheibe, and despite falling behind with a 1-2 count, came through with the Brakettes down to their last strike. Her three-run home run provided the most dramatic finish of the 2017 season and gave the home team a wild and unlikely, 7-5 decision.
The Brakettes will return to action on Friday night at 7:00 with a doubleheader against the Dutchess (NY) Debs. The teams will also match up on Saturday for another twinbill at 7 pm.
All 2017 Brakettes games are live video webcast at brakettes.com.
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| Thursday night, July 20th vs. CT Seahawks |
| First Game, 7:00 PM |
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Second Game |
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Batteries: Seahawks- Oliva Vadas, Brittany Romero (6), Vadas (6) and Kaitlyn Flood; Brakettes- Kaysee Talcik (3-1) and Megan Hodgdon
Homerun: Seahawks- Kaitlyn Flood; Brakettes- Noel Lent (1), Jolie Duffner (2), Lauren Pitney (3), Gabby Laccona (1) |
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Batteries: Seahawks- Samantha Schiebe (L) and Alexa Milius; Brakettes- Nicole Williams, Kaysee Talcik (2), Abby Abramson (3, W, 4-0) and Megan Hodgdon
Homerun: Kaysee Talcik (1) |
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