WPCNR PRESS BOX. August 28, 2006: Jocelyn Forest pitched the New England Riptide to its first National Pro Fastpitch Championship in a rain delayed game Monday night twirling her second straight shutout in Stratford Connecticut, to beat the Connecticut Brakettes, 2-0. Forest pitched a 5-hitter, with Lisa Iancin driving the first run in the 4th and Lyndsey Angus driving in the second in the 5th for the 2 Riptide runs, and "JFo" outduelling Sarah Pauly, the Brakette Pitcher of the Year. The game had been postponed due to Sunday's rains.
2006 National Pro Fastpitch Champions: The New England Riptide. Photo from National Pro Fastpitch.
Riptide Champs: Jocelyn Forest, left and Lyndsey Angus after their 1-0 win over Chicago Saturday afternoon. "JFo" and Lyndsey teamed up again Monday night to takeout the Brakettes for the Cowles Cup, 2-0. Photo, WPCNR Sports.
It was a story book ending for the Riptide, which finished fourth during the regular season, but rode the strong rightarm of The Towheaded Tornado to two shutout wins over first place Chicago Saturday, 1-0 in 9 innings, and tonight came back to take the championship away from the second place Connecticut Brakettes.
Lyndsey Angus singled and moved to second to start the game for New England, but was stranded. The Brakettes threatened in the second when Denise Denis walked and reached second on a Forest wild pitch, but Stephanie Hill flied out and Callie Piper fanned. New England's Lindy Winkler doubled in the third but was stranded when Jackie Pasquerella struck out.
In the fourth, the Riptide got Jocelyn the only run she needed when KC Kelly singled and Tarra Beyster the cleanup batter was safe on an error by Jessica Merchant, the Brakette shortstop. Lisa Iancin then doubled to score the pinch runner and make it 1-0.
In the fifth, Sarah Pauly hit Lindy Winkler with a pitch and Jackie Pasquerella singled with Winkler holding at second. Lyndsey Angus came to the plate and ripped a single scoring Winkler from second to make it 2-0.
In the fifth the Brakettes mounted their most serious threat. Callie Piper singled with one away. Heather Wright singled and Kelly Kretschman singled to load the bases. Then the Towheaded Tornado in the circle kicked it up a notch. She retired the Brakettes big two, Kellie Wilkerson, striking her out, then induced the NPF homerun champion, Jessica Merchant to fly to left, stranding three Brakettes.
Forest retired the Brakettes in order in the last of the sixth. The Brakettes had trying run at the plate in their last at-bat, but Forest retired Piper, Wright, and Kelly Kretschman in order to bring joy to New England.
JFo shut out the Brakettes on 5 hits walking 2 and striking out 7, in one of the most commanding performances since Lou Burdette won three games for the Milwaukee Braves in the 1957 World Series.
The Riptide were at 7-7 at the end of June and won 18 of their last 28 to finish fourth. WPCNR asked owner Joe Adlman, Jackie Pasquerella and Manager Sharon Drysdale, the reasons behind the "turn-of the Tide" after Saturdays' win:
Angus, interviewed by WPCNR Saturday night attributed the New England turnaround to "chemistry. We had a lot of young people, everything started clicking, everyone knew their roles, everything started clicking into place and we won almost all our games in July."
Joe Adlman, owner of the New England Riptide for all three years they've been in the league, commenting on Forrest's contribution to the team this year, said after her Saturday performance, "She's done it all year. She's the reason we made the playoffs. She's the reason we're in the finals."
WPCNR asked Adlman going into the Championship game about the team's Cinderella season: "I think we had a lot of young players. New players in the league. We just needed a month to kind of get acclimated to the league, to mold themselves and come together as a team. We had about six rainouts that didn't help. Once they got playing together and got out on the field they were able to show what they could do. And they've been doing it."
The Spiderwoman, Jackie Pasquerella, the old Juggernaut thirdbaser and member of that 2004 NPF Champion team, who anchors the hot corner for the Riptide told WPCNR Saturday, "We have better chemistry. We have a little bit more heart. We play together very well. Coach Sharon Drysdale and the owner, Joe Alderman, they really spent a lot of time picking and choosing the girls. This year they picked great kids and we meshed well, and obviously it shows on the field."
Manager Sharon Drysdale said of the team Saturday evening, "It's been such a long climb for us as a team from where we started. It's a new team. A week and a half before the start of the season we didn't even know if we were going to have enough players. We lost some players who I don't think our owner had anticipated. We had a lot of spots to fill. We filled them with a lot of no-name players. A lot of undrafted players and they came in and started to believe in themselves. I don't think I've ever coached a team that has come from behind in as many games as this team has. For walkoff games, I think we must have had 5 or 6 of them during one 19 game stretch. This team doesn't quit and they battle and they believe in each other and they're a fun group to coach so that all helps to get them where they are today."
Well, they're no-names no more! The 2006 National Pro Fastpitch Champs are: Tarra Beyster, Jamie Hass, Lisa Iancin, Mariangee Bogado, Kristin Vesely, Kristin Allain, Jocelyn Forest, KJ Kelly, Kristin Botto, Lyndsey Angus, Jen Scavone, Destiny Frankenstein, Tiffany Stewart, Lindy Winkler, Lisa Allen, Jackie Pasquerella, Danielle Henderson and Erica Beach.
