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2002 in Review |
| Clark, Brakettes Realize Dream in Title Win Kaci Clark had always dreamed of playing for the Stratford Brakettes. And the faithful Brakettes' fans at Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field had been dreaming about winning another National Championship for 10 years. Both dreams were realized as the diminutive Clark made a very big impression in pitching the Brakettes to the 2002 Women's Major ASA National Championship. The 5-foot-4 Clark earned her place in the team's illustrious tradition when she put the finishing touches on a masterful two-hit, 13-strikeout performance in the Brakettes' 1-0 win over the California Hurricanes in the finals before a packed house Monday night, August 19. Wearing her customary pigtails, Clark allowed only two base runners, neither of which advanced beyond second base, as she capped a storybook 29-0 season. With legendary ASA Hall of Fame pitchers Joan Joyce and Kathy Arendsen in attendance, Clark took a page out of their record books with her overpowering performance. The Brakettes' 24th National Championship wasn't secured until pinch-hitter Robyn King delivered a two-out RBI single up the middle to score Michelle Gates with the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning. The victory enabled the Brakettes to finish the season with an unbelievable 78-1 record, second best to the 57-0 mark in 1971. It also ended a 10-year drought between championships. Since the Brakettes moved to DeLuca Field in 1988, it had hosted the championship tournament three previous times without success. The title was the first the team had won in Stratford since the 1976 "Miracle Brakettes" prevailed at Raybestos Memorial Field. Manager John Stratton, who is entering his 26th year with the team, was the interim manager in 1976 when former U.S. Olympic Team and Raybestos coach Ralph Raymond suffered a heart attack. Once Clark had registered the final out of the game, Stratton was among the first out of the dugout to join in the celebration. The primary architect of the Brakettes resurgence to softball dominance, Stratton's teams had come close the past three years. However, each season ended with the disappointment of a third place finish in the nationals. The script was different this time, however, as the Brakettes boasted one of the top pitching staffs in ASA history and an arsenal of offensive weapons. In addition to Clark, 2000 Olympian Danielle Henderson returned to the club to post a 22-1 record, while University of Texas phenom Cat Osterman (6-0) and Florida Atlantic University All-America Nikki Myers (15-0) also were instrumental in the club's 0.21 ERA and 880 strikeouts. Clark and Osterman both won a pair of games in the nationals and Henderson authored the other victory as the staff limited the opposition to eight hits and three runs while striking out 69 batters. Osterman won the opener against the Iowa Dynasty by 5-2 as she allowed two hits and struck out 17. She struck out the side four times. A two-run throwing error in the first inning gave the Brakettes a 2-0 lead before Kellie Wilkerson's bases-clearing triple in the second stretched it to 5-0. Clark made her first start in nearly two weeks following an injury and she responded with an 8-0 no-hitter, her 11th of the year, and 12 strikeouts against the Adirondack, NY, Ice. Wilkerson's home run to right in the first inning gave the Brakettes a 1-0 lead. In a six-run, sixth inning, Germaine Fairchild had a three-run double and Lea Mishlan a bases loaded suicide squeeze bunt. Henderson stopped the Topton, PA, VIPs 8-1 on a two-hitter and 13 strikeouts in the semifinals. King, Sara Jewett and Fairchild all hit home runs for the Brakettes, who set a new single season record with 44. In the winner's bracket final against the California Hurricanes, the team that had beaten the Brakettes 1-0 in Phoenix in 2001, Osterman treated the fans to quite a performance. The lanky southpaw permitted only one hit and struck out 18 Hurricanes in a 4-0 win. She took a perfect game into the seventh inning. Wilkerson's RBI double in the third inning produced the winning run. Fairchild followed with a RBI hit for a 2-0 lead as the Brakettes advanced to the final game. |