WPCNR PRESS BOX. By John F. Bailey. August 16, 2005: The Stratford Brakettes, behind Sarah Pauly shut down Storm USA, 3-1, in the second game of a doubleheader Monday evening in Straftford, Connecticut, to earn a birth in the ASA Women’s Major Fastpitch Championship Tuesday night at 6:30 at Frank DeLuca Field. America’s premier amateur softball team goes for their fourth straight National title tonight against the Schutt Hurricanes of California.
Chaput Sends One: Lovena Chaput, Brakettes shortstop rounds third and heads for home after cranking a drive over and out in the fifth inning to give the Brakettes a 3-0 lead in the must-win Loser's Bracket Final late Monday night. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
The Hurricanes Taryne Mowatt, a freshman at the University of Arizona, 1-hit the Brakettes in the Winner’s Bracket Final, outduelling Cat Osterman, the Olympic pitcher, 1-0 in an eight-inning tie-breaker. To retain their national title, the Brakettes must sweep a twin bill from the Hurricanes. The Brakettes send Osterman back to the circle tonight in the first game and Pauley will pitch the title game if the Brakette bats come alive and force a second game.
Taryne Mowatt Mowing Down Brakettes in Game One. The Freshman from the University of Arizona pitched what she called her greatest game, giving the blasting Brakettes only 1 hit, putting the Schutt Hurricanes in the driver's seat. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
The Brakettes Lovena Chaput belted a long sacrifice fly to drive in what turned out to be the winning run in the victory over the Storm and blasted a solo homer 10 feet over the right field fence in the fifth to make the score 3-0. Germaine Fairchild’s smoking single down the left field line got the Brakette bats going in the first inning as the Brakettes started teeing off on Lauren Anderson -- who had pitched five innings in a game earlier in the day.
Anderson hit Chaput in the helmet leading off the game. Linda Secka hit into fielder’s choice, was sacrificed to second, and Germaine Fairchild, hitting cleanup smoked a single into the left field corner to make it 1-0. In the second inning, the Brakettes continued to stroke Anderson. Erica Sobel singled, Callie Piper singled, Amanda Jensen singled and Lovena Chaput belted a long towering drive into right center to drive in a run to make it 2-0. Chaput blasted a long one off Anderson in the fifth to make it 3-0.
Sarah Pauly, the Brakettes tall blonde righthander handcuffed the Storm, and held the lead, striking out the side in the second inning, with only one Storm reaching second in the fourth. Photo by WPCNR Sports
A walk, a single and a single loaded the bases on Pauly in the 5th, but Chaput at shortstop bailed Pauly out of the full-sacks jam, when she shoestringed a softliner and doubled Cross off third base. A run-and-bunt allowed the lone Storm run to score when the Brakette catcher threw errantly to third base, allowing Dykstra to score and it was 3-1. The Storm had winning run at the plate in the seventh with two out and two on, but Pauley rose to the occasion inducing a trickler to second. A great throw from secondbaseman Sobel when she was flat in the dirt just did get the runner at first to end the game.
WINNING BATTERY: Sarah Pauly (right) with her catcher Killian Roessner, said her riseball and changeup were her stock-in-trade tonight that kept the pesky Storm hitters in check. She fanned 9, walked 1. Catcher Killian Roessner caught both ends of the doubleheader, and was robbed of a three-run homer in the seventh when the Storm Centerfielder lept at the centerfield fence, crashed threw it and appeared to catch the ball. Brakette manager John Stratton argued the fence was moved by the outfielder to catch the ball, but the men-in-blue called it a long out. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
In the first game, Cat Osterman the lanky lefty from Texas, (in the circle) member of the USA Olympic Softball Champions, pitching in her first game for the Brakettes, dueled towheaded Tarynne Mowatt. Osterman mastered the Hurricane hitters who mounted only one threat in the second inning until the game ended in a tie-breaking sacrifice fly in the 8th by Ashley Herrara. Osterman with her drop and rise and pinpoint control was painting the outside corner. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
Meanwhile Mowatt kept the Brakette hitters off balance allowing only one dying quail hit over third base in the second inning by Linda Secka. Brakettes Manager John Stratton grumbled about the Brakettes inability to move the runners and quiet bats. “You do that, you score runs,” he said. Catcher Roessner said the team was shocked after the first game loss, and said all the bats were quiet. “We have to bring our A-game, tomorrow,” she said.
Sunset Boulevard: Mowatt pitching in the sunset in the fifth inning of her 1-0 gem. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
The Brakettes had their shots to score off Mowatt in the 6th and 7th. A walk to Chaput, and a botched sacrifice and a walk put runners on first and second for the great clutch hitter, Germaine Fairchild, hitting cleanup. Fairchild had three good swings but, Mowatt induced her to hit into a force play in the hole at short, ending the bid.
Mowatt In Motion. Photo by WPCNR Sports
In the 7th , Denise Denis was safe on an error when the thirdbaseperson’s throw pulled the second baseperson off the bag at first. Mowatt, with the game on the line, fanned Roessner and the fearsome Sobel swinging and got Callie Piper on a pop to short.
Mowatt (left) said she was using a screwball and curve to setup the Brakette hitters for her changeup, which she used more than once in batter sequences. She got a lot of her third strikes on the change, which is the same everytime she throws it, but in a different spot. Hurricane Coach Paul Wilk said the victory was sweet, and credited his catcher Suzy Brazney, (right) with calling the pitching sequences, keeping the Brakette hitters off-balance. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
The Hurricanes won this game by sacrificing while the Brakettes could not get a bunt down in the 8th and deciding frame.
In the Brakette 8th with the tiebreaker in effect, Jill Cimminello on second. Amanda Jensen missed her first attempts to bunt Jill over and fouled the third pitch for out number one. Lovena Chaput pushed the ball to the right of the pitcher’s circle moving her over to third. With the go-ahead on third, Linda Secka lofted a high easy fly to right to end the bid.
In contrast, the Hurricanes executed. With Mallory Miller on second to start the bottom of the 8th, Danielle Peterson took one ball then dropped an Osterman pitch perfectly between the circle and first moving Miller to third. One out, winning run on third. Peterson said she disciplined herself to layoff Cat's rise and anything high. She said it was the biggest play she'd ever been involved in.
Heroine of the Game: Ashley Herrera, the leadoff hitter stepped in. Herrera had put the ball in play three straight times against Osterman, and said she was looking for anything above the knees to drive. She's also, she said, played against Osterman before. She got all of the first pitch and drove it on a line to straight away center, Miller tagged and slid in easily. Secka catching the ball in deep center had no shot at throwing her out and the Hurricanes and Mowatt had the win, 1-0. Photo by WPCNR Sports.
