Wrap-Up

2011 WMS National Championship Thrives in Return to DeLuca Field

The Women’s Major Softball National Championship enjoyed a return to DeLuca Field in Stratford, CT in early August after a year at Biondi Field in West Haven. The 3rd Annual WMS Tourney began on Thursday, August 4th, 2011 with eleven teams looking to capture the crown.

The defending champion Stratford Brakettes entered the Championship on a record streak and with plenty of confidence, having won 113 consecutive games over nearly two full seasons. Manager John Stratton’s club welcomed ten other deserving squads to Stratford, while hoping to become the first repeat winners of the WMS title.

The St. Louis Saints again made the trek out east for the season-ending national tournament, hoping to derail the Brakettes’ 2011 express train. St. Louis, under the tutelage of Ed Martz, sought to improve on their 2010 runner-up status and win their first WMS championship. The Saints came to town just a week after capturing the 2011 National Softball Association (NSA) National Title, winning six games in as many tries against top Midwestern talent.

The 2009 WMS champion New York City Havoc also returned to DeLuca Field, the home of their Cinderella-like finish two years ago. Co-managers Dawn Gugliaro and Kim Tolve led their team into Stratford after a summer of competition in tournaments throughout the Northeast.

The New York Raiders brought one of their most well-rounded clubs to play in the WMS, featuring strong pitching and a deep offensive attack. Gerald Picaso’s team proved to be a tough matchup for opponents throughout 2011.

The Lyons Spirit (Lyons, PA) marched their veteran team in with confidence, after winning both the Linden (NJ) Invitational and Ron Scheidt (Lyons, PA) Tournament over the summer. Jean Buskirk managed the team in Kris Check’s absence.

The youthful Connecticut Mirage sought to prove that their fifth-place finish in 2010 was no fluke, and manager Ken Hyne’s squad took on any and all challengers to prepare for the WMS.

The Stratford Breakers, managed by Mark Fawver, returned to WMS play after competing at the 23-U Nationals in 2010. The Breakers nearly won the inaugural WMS Championship in 2009, losing to the Havoc in a well-played finale.

The Shockers of Blandon, PA also came to Stratford to compete for the WMS Title, led by manager Chris Schroeder.

Rounding out the field were the Shoreline (CT) Sting, managed by Ray Ezell; Connecticut Eliminators, with Jerry Lattal serving as manager; and the Stratford (CT) Seahawks, under the charge of Kevin Maltese.

Pool play began Thursday morning, with eight games at DeLuca Field and three at the nearby Short Beach Complex, also in Stratford. The St. Louis Saints and Stratford Brakettes both won a pair of games to capture Pools B and C, respectively, while all three teams in Pool A finished 1-1. The New York Raiders prevailed in the pool due to tie-breakers, having given up the fewest runs of the three squads.

Double-elimination bracket play began on Friday morning, although only winners’ bracket contests were held on the day. This scheduling format was chosen to guarantee all teams at least three days of competition and a minimum of four games.

There were three first round games played, with the winners advancing to play again Friday evening in the quarter-finals. Five teams were seeded into the quarters after earning first-round byes.

The CT Mirage defeated the Shoreline Sting 10-4 in the first game of the day, as Bridget gates picked up the win. The Mirage were led by a homer by Bree Turgeon.

Next up at DeLuca was a rematch of the 2009 WMS Championship Game. The NYC Havoc again got the best of the Stratford Breakers, winning 6-1, nearly two years after the teams’ first meeting. Alyson Chiaramonte pitched the Havoc to victory, while Kristin Havdoglous went 3-for 3.

The CT Eliminators defeated the Stratford Seahawks 8-0 in the final first-round game, setting the field for the quarter-finals. Jen Lattal was the winning pitcher, spinning a four-hitter.

In the first quarter-final, the New York Raiders beat the Shockers 9-0, putting them into Saturday’s semi-finals. New York benefited from a strong start by Jen Martinez, who earned the win. Ashley Rampino hit a homer for the Raiders, while contributing three hits. Jen Keller, Jen Pawol and Crystal Vargas also had three hits for New York.

The St. Louis Saints matched up against the CT Mirage for the second consecutive day, with the Saints again coming from behind to avoid an upset, surviving with a 10-5 win. Amanda Zust earned the decision in relief, while Ashley Hall and Kelsey Harrison each hit a homer for St. Louis. Hall went 5-for-5 in the game. Bree Turgeon hit her second home run of bracket play in a losing effort for the Mirage.

The Stratford Brakettes won the third quarter-final of the day with a 12-0 decision over the NYC Havoc. Brandice Balschmiter was the winning pitcher, striking out eight and giving up just one hit. Carly Normandin smashed a homer for the Brakettes.

The Lyons Spirit won the final contest of the day, inching past the CT Eliminators 4-3. Mandie Rush took the win, while Ali Hartzel came on in the sixth to earn a save for the Spirit. Kathy Henderson and Elaine Bedell both had two hits for Lyons.

By day’s end on Friday, the winners’ bracket had been whittled down to four teams, with the Raiders and Saints, Brakettes and Spirit set for semi-final showdowns on Saturday.

There were also seven teams with one loss heading into Saturday, with the first elimination games of the 2011 WMS starting at 8 am.

The Shockers and Stratford Breakers matched up at DeLucaField in one loser’s bracket contest, while the CT Eliminators and Shoreline Sting battled at Short Beach in the other early elimination game.

The Breakers prevailed at DeLuca Field, 6-2, eliminating the Shockers. Bre Shephard and Katie Dinahanian led the way for the Breakers with three hits apiece, while Jen Russell picked up the win for Stratford. Jen Dalickas and Andrea Conner both had two hits for the Shockers.

The Shoreline Sting found a way to survive and advance, knocking off the CT Eliminators at Short Beach with a 6-5 decision. It took two runs in the bottom of the seventh to cap off a comeback for the Sting, after the Eliminators jumped up 4-1 in the fourth. Maggie McGuire had two triples and 4 RBI, while Kate Sartory had two hits for the Sting. Steph Lapierre hit a home run in the loss, while Megan Godwin and Steph Belanger each had two hits for the Eliminators.

Although the early losses closed out the tournament for the Eliminators and Shockers, both squads won games on Thursday in pool play.

A day before, the Shockers defeated the Sting 5-2 behind a strong performance by Natalie Buch, who earned the win. Buch also hit a homer in the victory, as Kelly Pete had three hits and Tonya Lance added a pair of singles.

The Eliminators also beat the Sting on Thursday, with a 6-1 win at DeLuca. Jen Latall picked up the win for Connecticut, while Kelly Patterson paced the offense with three hits. Brianna Levick, Molly Rathbun and Steph Belanger all had two hits for the Eliminators.

The Stratford Seahawks were the other team to lose both bracket play contests they played, dropping a 4-2 decision to the Connecticut Mirage at DeLuca, despite a strong start by Tina Boehm. The Seahawks were led by veteran shortstop Sheri Paci’s two hits, including a double.

The Eliminators, Shockers and Seahawks finished tied for ninth place. The Breakers, Mirage and Sting advanced to play again later in the morning by virtue of their early Saturday wins.

The Sting moved over to Short Beach after beating the Eliminators to take on the NYC Havoc. The Havoc made quick work of the Sting, winning 8-0 in five innings. Megan Butterworth threw a one-hitter with six strikeouts for the win. Jeanine Leo hit a grand slam for the Havoc, who also got two hits each from Nicole Adisano, Gina Gerone, Katie Flynn, Kristin Havdoglous and Kim Procida.

The Mirage stayed on the field after their win over the Seahawks to defend their turf yet again, advancing with a 7-5 victory over the Breakers. Kathleen Conway took over on the mound in the fourth inning and earned a win in relief of Bridget Gates. Bree Turgeon had two hits, including her third homer of bracket play in the win. Conway went 3-for-3 and Jess Tait also had two hits for the Mirage.

The Breakers and Sting finished tied for seventh place after being eliminated Saturday morning.

The focus shifted after the Mirage-Breakers game, with the winners’ bracket semi-finals being staged at DeLuca.

The first semi pitted the Stratford Brakettes and Lyons Spirit against each other. The Brakettes continued their impressive all-around attack with a 12-0 win in five innings. Rachele Fico pitched a two-hitter with eight strikeouts, while Kristyn Sandberg drilled two home runs. Stephanie Call, Ashley Waters and Carly Normandin also hit homers to fuel the offensive outburst. The win moved the Brakettes into Saturday night’s winners’ bracket final.

The St. Louis Saints clinched the other spot in the winners’ bracket final with a 10-2 win over the New York Raiders. Amanda Zust went the distance for the Saints to earn the victory, while Kelsey Harrison hit a homer for St. Louis. The Saints also had three hits apiece from Ashley Hall and Amanda Clack. Jaci Rahey smashed a homer in the loss for New York, while Keli Leong went 3-for-3.

With the Brakettes and Saints set for a rematch of 2010’s WMS winners’ bracket final, the Spirit and Raiders dropped into the losers’ bracket. Waiting for them were the CT Mirage and NYC Havoc.

The Mirage would continue their impressive Saturday play, as they went on to eliminate the Spirit with a 5-4 win, their third victory of the day. Bridget Gates led the charge for Connecticut, going 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBI’s. Gates also started the game for the Mirage, but was relieved by Kathleen Conway in the fourth. Conway earned the victory, while Ashley Gall had two hits for the Mirage, including a double.

Leanda Helms had a home run for Lyons in the losing effort. Karen Bauer, Denise Henderson and Megan Greiss each had two hits for the Spirit, who finished tied for fifth place.

The Brakettes and Saints took the field after the Mirage knocked out the Spirit, going to battle with a spot in Sunday’s Championship Game at stake.

Brandice Balschmiter gave the Saints little chance to get anything going, surrendering just one hit, while striking out 11 batters.

Denise Denis scored the game’s first run on a wild pitch by Saints’ starter Kelli Zache, after reaching on a two-out triple.

Kristyn Sandberg extended the Brakettes’ lead to 2-0 in the second inning with a solo homer.

Denis started a rally in the third with a one-out double. Stephanie Call drilled a homer to right field, putting Stratford up 4-0. The home crowd saluted Call for the two-run shot, which was her 30th home run of the year, making her the first Brakettes to ever reach that mark in a single season.

After Mandie Fishback singled, Kristyn Sandberg launched her second homer of the game, putting the Brakettes up 6-0. The blast gave her home runs in four consecutive at bats, all coming on Saturday.

The Brakettes scored two more runs in the fifth inning to secure the victory in run-rule fashion and advance to the Championship Game without a loss for the second straight year.

The last couple innings of the game were played in a light rain, which grew steadier after its completion. The last scheduled game of the day, between the NYC Havoc and New York Raiders was eventually postponed to Sunday morning, although the teams entertained the remaining crowd for nearly an hour with an impromptu and good-natured “talent show” in the rain. After several improvised skits, including dance routines and juggling acts, the postponement was announced, and players and fans alike exited DeLuca Field under heavy downpours.

Late-night rain and early morning thunderstorms proved difficult for tournament organizers, as the schedule would suffer another setback on Sunday.

The rains finally stopped at 10 am, and amazingly, the sun peaked through the clouds an hour later. After a very grim start, there appeared to be hope that the games would again resume.

The Mirage advanced to the last stages of the tourney for the second straight year, but were forced to forfeit their game against the winner of the Havoc and Raiders due to a potential shortage of available players. The CT Mirage finished in fourth place, their best finish in WMS play.

Mirage shortstop/second baseman Brianna Turgeon made the All-WMS Tournament Team as a utility pick, after hitting three home runs in bracket play and dazzling the crowds in the field. She also took home the Allyson Rioux Award as Defensive Player of the Tournament.

With the Mirage no longer involved, the Havoc-Raiders game took on new meaning, as the winner would advance to the losers’ bracket final against the St. Louis Saints.

The game proved to be worth the price of admission, as both New York squads received great pitching performances from their starters.

The Raiders prevailed 1-0 in a classic pitcher’s duel between the Havoc’s Alyson Chairamonte and the Raiders’ Capri Catalano.

Catalano struck out 10 batters, while allowing just one hit, a bunt single to Liz Strein.

Chiaramonte, the 2009 WMS Joan Joyce Award (Most Valuable pitcher) Winner, allowed five hits and struck out two.

Jen Keller led the way with two hits for the Raiders, and also had a hand in the game’s only run.

The lone score came in the fifth and was unearned, as Keli Leong reached on an error. Leong came home on an errant throw, as Keller reached on an infield single.

With the victory, the Raiders advanced to the winners’ bracket final against the St. Louis Saints, which followed shortly after the all-New York affair.

The 2009 WMS champion Havoc settled for a tie with the Lyons Spirit for fifth place with the loss, but again managed to be in contention deep into the tournament.

The Havoc’s Nicole Adisano made the All-WMS Team for the second straight year as one of two catchers chosen by a panel of local media.

The second matchup on Sunday morning was played for a spot in the Championship Game, with the New York Raiders and St. Louis Saints going toe-to-toe in the losers’ bracket final.

The Raiders attempted to shake off their previous 10-2 loss to St. Louis in the winners’ bracket semis, and came through with an early jump on the Saints.

New York scored a run in the second inning, as Jaci Rahey scored on a sac fly by Jen Martinez. Rahey led off with a walk and went to second on a single by Katy May-Hill. She was sacrificed to third on a bunt by Crystal Vargas.

Jen Keller extended the lead with a solo shot in the third inning, giving the Raiders a 2-0 margin. That lead would last until the bottom of the fourth, as the Saints were finally able to break through against Raiders’ starter Ashley Rampino.

After stranding runners at third in the first three frames, the Saints came back to take the lead in the fourth.

Brittney Fisher launched a solo home run to cut the lead to 2-1 with one out, but the Saints were not done. Kelsey Harrison earned a walk, before Jenna Wood and Amanda Zust both singled to load the bases.

Ashley Hall drove in Harrison with a single to tie the game and Chelsey Carmody walked to force in another run, giving St. Louis a 3-2 advantage.

Jenna Wood added a two-run shot for the Saints in the fifth inning with Brittney Fisher on base, extending the margin to 5-2.

The Raiders would not go down without a fight, scratching back for a run in the sixth. Jen Pawol led off the inning with a double and scored on a base hit by Ashley Rampino to pull within 5-3.

The Saints put the game out of reach in the bottom of the sixth, however, as Amanda Clack delivered the knockout blow.

After Ashley Hall and Rachael West reached base on singles, Clack blasted a three-run homer to put the Saints up 8-3. Hall had three hits in the game to pace the attack.

Amanda Zust retired the side in the seventh to secure the victory and a spot for St. Louis in the Championship Game against the Stratford Brakettes.

The New York Raiders finished third with the loss, the highest finish in their national tournament history.

Keli Leong was tabbed as the shortstop on the All-WMS Tournament Team.

One year after the Saints and Brakettes battled for the 2010 WMS Championship, the teams would face off in a rematch with the National Title at stake.

The Saints were the home team for the Championship Game as determined by a pre-game coin-flip.

Rachele Fico took the mound for the Brakettes, while Kelli Zache started for the Saints. Neither team would score in the first inning, but Stephanie Call put Stratford ahead in the second.

Call blasted her team-record 31st homer of the year, a solo shot which gave her 90 RBI’s on the season, also a new Brakette record. Although Fico would not need any more run support, the Brakettes were happy to supply it.

Kristyn Sandberg and Kate Bowen then contributed singles, and Alisa Heronema reached on an error, to load the bases for Carly Normandin. Sandberg would score on a wild pitch, before Normandin delivered a base hit to score Bowen for a 3-0 lead.

The Brakettes were given a run in the third inning, as four consecutive walks were issued to Denise Denis, Call, Mandie Fishback and Sandberg. Denis scored on Sandberg’s walk for a 4-0 lead. The next three batters were sent back to the dugout in order to keep the damage at a minimum for St. Louis.

The Saints had their best opportunity in the bottom of the third, as Jenna Wood reached on an error. Ashley Hall then beat out a bunt single, and an errant throw to first allowed both runners to move up a base.

With speedy runners at second and third for the Saints, Fico induced a pair of groundouts to third base to squash the potential rally.

Normandin reached on a walk in the fourth and went to third on a double by Ashley Waters. Denis clubbed a single to score two runs, and moved to second on the late throw to home plate. Fishback singled to score Denis for a 7-0 lead, drawing Stratford closer to a title repeat.

The Saints continued to battle, as Amanda Clack and Zoe Sinner reached on errors, but Fico retired the next three in order to again get out of trouble.

Heronema beat out an infield single in the fifth and scored on a triple by Normandin. Waters sent Normandin home with her second hit of the game, putting Stratford up 9-0.

Fico struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the fifth, which put the Brakettes within an out of the championship, due to the run-rule. The last out was secured on a grounder to Melissa Mancuso at short, who threw to Sarah Calgreen at first to commence the Brakettes’ celebration.

The St. Louis Saints finished as the National Runners-Up for the second straight year, while the Brakettes again were crowned champions. The Saints finished 20-10 on the season, with six of their losses coming at the hands of the Brakettes.

The Brakettes finished their 2011 campaign 63-0, while extending their team-record winning streak to 119 games over nearly two full seasons. Their second WMS National Title is the franchise’s 30th national championship, after winning 28 ASA titles between 1958 and 2007.

The two teams were well represented on the 2011 All-WMS Team, as three Saints and eight Brakettes made the squad.

Ashley Hall was the selected All-Tournament third baseman, while Amanda Clack (Outfield) and Amanda Zust (Pitcher) were chosen, as well. Hall also took home the Diane Schumacher Award for the tournament’s batting queen, with a .667 average.

Rachele Fico and Brandice Balschmiter were named to the team and shared the Joan Joyce Award as the Most Outstanding Pitcher of the WMS Championships.

Kristyn Sandberg was one of two catchers named to the squad, while also being named the MVP (Micki Stratton Award) of the tournament. Sandberg also captured the Pat Dufficy Award as the WMS Home Run Champion, smashing four homers in bracket play.

The other Brakettes chosen by a panel of local media for the All-WMS Team were Stephanie Call (1B), Ashley Waters (2B), Becca Carden (OF), Carly Normandin (OF) and Denise Denis, who was chosen as a utility player.

With strong interest shown by players, fans and sponsors alike at the 2011 WMS National Championship, the 2012 version should be even better than ever.

But before looking ahead to 2012, there are many thanks that need to be extended on behalf of the 2011 WMS organizers.

Congratualtions and thanks go out to all of the players and coaches of the 11 teams that competed in the 2011 Women’s Major Softball National Championship, and the list goes on…

Cliff LaRose served as the Umpire-in-Chief for the tournament, handling the assigning of umpires to each game and much more. Ralph Bellinger and Tony Roberto served as Assistant U-I-C’s, while Don Caterson was the Umpire-in-Chief Emeritus.

The tournament umpires were Gary Depeano (Stratford, CT), John DeVito (New Fairfield, CT), Mike Eggleston (Messina, NY), Austin Hammar (Brookfield, CT), Peter Mosgofian (Woburn , MA), Tom Oliver (Stamford, CT), Chub Rappuhn (Owosso, MI), Todd Robbins (Leominster, MA), Al Rosenberg (Southington, CT), Rich Ruggiero (Stratford, CT), Jerry Schuette (New Haven, CT), John T Stoodley (Westminster, VT), Larry Tait (Holly, MI), Chris Techonica (Carthidge, NY) and Jeff Vankirk (Southington, CT).

Brakettes’ webmaster Harlan Gage updated the WMS website and brakettes.com throughout the tournament keeping all WMS fans that couldn’t make it to DeLuca Field in the know. Kathy Gage, Brakettes’ team photographer, took amazing photos of all teams involved in the tournament, while helping out behind the scenes in a number of roles. Pat Sanders and HYPACK (Technical Sponsor of the Brakettes) printed high-resolution posters of Kathy’s images for players and coaches at no charge.

Hal Baird, Brakettes’ P.A. Announcer, presided over the Opening Ceremonies and games at DeLuca Field.

Lauren Hyne, daughter of Mirage manager Ken Hyne, sang the National Anthem at Opening Ceremonies.

Brakettes’ director of field operations, Al Roy, helped Brakettes’ GM Bob Baird hold down the fort throughout the tournament, while staffing the front gate.

Danny Volturno served as the scoreboard operator for all games at DeLuca Field, as he does for all Brakette games during the season.

Steve Pavlich was the official scorer and statistician of the WMS tournament.

All 25 games from DeLuca Field were live video webcast by the Brakettes’ broadcast team, led by play-by-play announcer Rob Baird. Ilan Woll and Pat Sanders provided color commentary, while Pat also served as the broadcast’s technical director and camera operator. Ilan also served as announcer and scorer for all games at Short Beach Complex.

We also truly appreciate the media coverage we enjoyed throughout the 2011 season and WMS National Championship. Thanks to the Stratford Star, Connecticut Post and New Haven Register for keeping softball fans informed.

We also salute Mark Sudol and everyone at 12 News Connecticut for their unrivaled coverage throughout the season and WMS Tournament. Thanks also to Narmeen Choudhury of FoxNews CT and Gil Simmons of WTNH-New Haven for their coverage.

Special thanks go out to Paul Lasek, Ed McAuley, Joe Anderson, Ed Eckel, Bob Newall, Ralph and Lee Fico, Robyn McHale, Bob Babis, Bob Hermann, Lora Varvella, Allie Hermann, Anthony Brunner, Loren Smith, Lilly Smith, Ray Stevenson, Martha Baird, Emily Eckel, Tory Kelly and ball boy George for their long hours to make the tournament a success. Thanks also to everyone who helped on Sunday morning… you know who you are!

BIG thanks go out to Roger Evanko and Bert, Town of Stratford Department of Parks workers who rushed to get the field ready for all games, especially on a very WET Sunday morning. Thank you!!!

McCoy’s Pub served as sponsor of the WMS Team Social, attended by all teams, plus tournament staffers and volunteers. Thanks also to Jerry’s Shakespeare Pizza, Lordship Pizza and The Pickle Barrel for donating food for the Social.

Lastly, big thanks again go out to Brakettes’ GM Bob Baird, without whom, this tournament would not exist. Bob oversaw all aspects of the WMS National Championship as Tournament Director. From the scheduling of games to managing all field staffers, soliciting sponsorships to coordinating tournament events, Bob was intricately involved in making the WMS a tremendous success once more.

Thanks especially to the many volunteers that helped make the tournament fun and safe for all involved. We couldn’t do it without you.

See you again at the 2012 Women’s Major Softball National Championship!

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