Saturday Night
Brakettes Defeat Mass. Drifters 1-0 in Classic 9-inning Pitchers' Duel

July 10 - By Connor Pignatello - The Brakettes swept a doubleheader against the Massachusetts Drifters tonight by scores of 1-0 and 8-0. It was the first action for the Brakettes in thirteen days -- their previous three games were rained out.

In the first game, the Brakettes squeezed out a 1-0 win in nine innings thanks to a walkoff single by Lauren Rende, her second walkoff hit in two weeks. On June 26, Rende hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to beat the Maryland Chill.

“Basically I just gotta clear my head, make contact...she was throwing pretty well, so if I jjust make contact on the ball and get a pitch I want to hit,” said Lauren Rende.

Both teams enjoyed excellent pitching -- only three runners made it past second base until the Brakettes won it in the ninth.

Drifters pitcher Brooke Sroczinski had excellent command and control all night, allowing just one run on eight hits. Sroczinski used her changeup as her main strikeout pitch and caught five of her eight strikeout victims looking.

“I know a lot of girls were getting tossed out on the changeup -- I even got one as one of my pitches which I swung at and missed,” said Rende, who reached base four times. “Most of my hits were all first pitch, so if you see that first pitch and it's a good pitch -- especially if the pitcher wants to throw a strike, then you’ve got to just swing at it.”

Ali DuBois was not to be outdone though. She secured eighteen strikeouts of her own and allowed just four hits in nine innings of work.

The Brakettes struggled to put together a rally against the tough pitching of Skoczinski all game.

In the seventh inning, Lauren Rende walked and made a heads-up baserunning decision by taking third base on a sacrifice bunt, but Gillian Birk flew out to right field to send the game to extra innings.

The Drifters threatened immediately in extra innings after Michaela Russell and Sroczinski reached base to start the inning and then succeeded on a double-steal. But DuBois retired the next three Drifter batters in order to end the threat.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Jana Sanden drew a two-out walk followed by a Kaitlyn Flood single. Lauren Rende promptly ended the game with a walkoff single -- the first time all game either team recorded consecutive hits.

In the second game of the set, the Brakettes jumped early on starter Kate Wilmot. Seven consecutive Brakettes reached base to start the second inning. Stratford brought eight runs across the plate before Wilmot finally escaped the jam.

To start the third frame, Massachusetts brought in third baseman Mia Patriacca in relief. Patriacca proceeded to silence Stratford bats and did not allow a hit for her two innings.

In her Brakettes debut, Junior Brakettes call-up Sam Schiebe pitched five shutout innings and allowed just a pair of first inning hits. She struck out eight.

The game was called by mercy rule after five innings.