Saturday at Micki Stratton Round Robin
DuBois No-Hits Select Brakettes in Lightning-Shortened Game

July 17 - By Connor Pignatello - Ali DuBois pitched a no-hitter across four innings against the Select Brakettes in a 4-0 Brakettes win. The game was delayed due to lightning in the top of the fifth inning. After a half hour delay, play resumed for a half inning before the umpires called the game.

DuBois faced sixteen batters but struck out eleven of them -- all consecutively between the second and fifth innings. In the fourth inning against the heart of the Select Brakettes’ lineup, DuBois pitched an immaculate inning, striking out the side on just nine pitches. She nearly repeated the feat in the fourth inning after striking out the first two batters on three pitches, but Lucy Puskas popped out to end both DuBois’ streak and the game.

Sarah Rende -- Brakettes’ shortstop Lauren Rende’s younger sister -- was the Select Brakettes only baserunner. She reached on an error in the first inning.

In the fourth inning with a 1-0 lead, Katie Sciglimpaglia golfed a three-run home run over the foul pole in left field, her fourth homer of the season. In her previous at-bat, the third baseman crushed a pitch to nearly the same location, but it hit the top of the fence just to the left of the foul pole.

After two wins today, the Brakettes are just one win away from 4,000 all-time victories. The Micki Stratton Round Robin continues tomorrow -- the Brakettes play the Connecticut Eliminators 18+ squad at 10:45 a.m. and Connecticut Rogue at 3 p.m.

Lawton Powers Brakettes to 12-0 Win

July 17 - By Connor Pignatello - Sarah Lawton pitched a three-hit shutout and the Stratford Brakettes beat the Connecticut Eliminators 12-0 in the Micki Stratton Round Robin.

The Eliminators struggled on defense all game -- they committed five errors and allowed seven unearned runs.

In the third frame, the Brakettes scored three times off just one hit due to three errors and listless fielding by the Eliminators. With one out, Jana Sanden and Kaitlyn Flood each reached on errors by the Connecticut shortstop. Next up, Lauren Rende hit a hard grounder to third base which deflected off third baseman Riley Pickett’s glove. When no Eliminator player immediately picked the ball up, Rende sprinted for second to leg out an infield double.

Up 7-0 after six innings, Stratford added five additional runs in the top of the seventh. Sam Schiebe and Jessica Burlingame hit RBI singles and Lauren Rende prolonged a rundown between first and second base long enough for three of her teammates to score.

In her first two plate appearances for the Brakettes after being called up from the Junior Brakettes as a pitcher on July 10, Sam Schiebe secured a hit and two RBIs in a pinch-hit appearance for Jana Sanden.

“I knew that she was throwing drops and changeups so I wanted to make sure I waited for one that was there and not swing for not strikes,” said Schiebe.

In seven dominant innings, Sarah Lawton rebounded from her first loss of the season on Thursday to shut out the Eliminators on just three scattered singles. The Sacred Heart transfer struck out ten and did not allow a Connecticut runner past first base.