Saturday Night
Rende Mashes Two More HRs, Brakettes Beat Eliminators

July 31 - By Connor Pignatello - Lauren Rende hit home runs in both games and the Brakettes beat the Connecticut Eliminators 9-5 and 8-0 in tonight’s doubleheader.

In the first game, the Brakettes hit four home runs off Eliminator pitching, including two in the second inning. Kaitlyn Flood hit a solo shot for her third home run of the season to start the scoring for Stratford. Two batters later, Gillian Birk belted a two-run shot for her fifth of the year.

In the third frame, Lauren Rende hit the second home run in her past three at bats after blasting her third walkoff home run of the season in Wednesday’s win over the Select Brakettes.

“Sometimes I get too anxious and I want to just get the ball in play but I have to remember to relax, set my feet and don’t be lunging at the ball,” said Rende. “[I] just wait for my pitch so I can drive it and don’t swing at the pitcher’s pitch.”

Two innings later, Jana Sanden joined the home run barrage with a two-run shot. She now has 34 RBIs on the year -- just one shy of Briana Marcelino’s team-leading 35.

After three of the first four Eliminators reached base to start the fifth inning, the Brakettes replaced starter Sam Schiebe with Ali DuBois. In four and a third innings, Schiebe allowed a run on six hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

Like several other occasions this season, when the Brakettes are in trouble, they turn to DuBois. The Patriot league pitcher of the year has allowed just one earned run in 82 2/3 innings this year. With two runners on and a run already in, DuBois struck out back-to-back Eliminators to end the inning.

Stratford allowed a season-high five runs, although just one was earned.

In the second game, Stratford jumped on Connecticut pitching early again, this time scoring four runs in the first inning. The Brakettes cycled through their entire lineup, scoring four runs off of Eliminators starter Abby Poirot thanks to doubles from Rebecca Johnson, Rende, and Gillian Birk.

The next inning, Rende crushed Poirot’s offering well past the fence in left field for her third home run in as many games, tying Marcelino for the team lead with eight.

Rende says she frequently pulls her home runs because “some girls are a little bit worried about hitting the batter so if she leaves it a bit too over the plate that’s your pitch to go to.”

Sarah Lawton dominated the Eliminators all night despite frequently pitching to 3-2 counts. The Sacred Heart transfer struck out ten in just five innings, including seven in a row between the third and fifth innings. Lawton walked two and allowed one hit.

The game was called after five innings due to run rule.

In the only other previous matchup between the two teams this year, the Brakettes beat the Eliminators 12-0 in the first game of the Micki Stratton Round Robin.

Tomorrow, the Brakettes play a doubleheader against the Connecticut Impact. First pitch is at 4 p.m.