Olt was named the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s co-player of the week, and celebrated by winning the league’s Home Run Derby with 11 blasts.

Olt, a freshman at UConn, is doing everything he can to get the Westerners in the playoff picture. His week consisted of a .429 average with 12 hits including 2 doubles, 3 home runs and 13 RBIs. He also had a stolen base.

And in the NECBL All-Star Game at Torrington on Sunday, he also hit a 2-run homer in the game that lifted the South to a 5-2 win.

This summer, Olt posts a .294 batting average in a team-high 31 games played. He currently leads the Westerners with 126 at-bats, 27 runs scored, 37 hits, eight doubles, six homeruns and 30 RBIs. Entering his sophomore year at UConn, Olt has led the Westerners with a .516 slugging percentage and a .348 on-base percentage, while also picking up 41 putouts and 78 assists.

Team USA softball had just completed its 9-0 win over the Stratford Brakettes on Sunday, and pitcher Rachele Fico was all smiles when she went to hug her high school teammates.

And on top of that, the 17-year-old Masuk prodigy graciously signed a few autographs for some young admirers.

Hard to believe that just a few minutes earlier, Fico had give up five earned runs on four hits and a walk in just one inning of work.

For those who have followed Fico’s near flawless high school career, the performance may have come as a shock. But there’s a big difference between your average CIAC player - or a regular opponent of the Brakettes - than Olympians like Caitlin Mendoza.

And for that matter, the batters Fico faced in the Canada Cup earlier this month as a member of the Florida-based Gold Coast Hurricanes - like Japan, Venezuela, and Chinese Taipei - were not too shabby.

“It’s been so much fun, I’ve had some awesome learning experience facing some of the best teams in the world,” Fico said about her Canada Cup experience. “I’m taking what I do in the game and learning from it and hopefully I’ll grow from it.”

And Fico fortunately has not let her softball growth and advancement go to her head. According to her friends and members of the Brakettes, she’s still the same Rachele Fico who would rather see her team win a game than get personal accolades.

In fact, her father, Ralph Fico, told reporters Sunday that his daughter’s reaction to being named a high school All-American this season was, “Oh, cool.”

So it’s no wonder Fico, who has already given a verbal agreement to Louisiana State University, wasn’t intimidated during her one inning against the USA Olympic team.

“I was just so excited to play against the number one team in the country, and I just went out there and had fun,” Fico said.

STRATFORD - There have been several spectacular pitching performances at DeLuca Field this summer. But for the first time, the dominant pitcher was in the visiting dugout.

That was Jennie Finch. The Team USA softball pitcher.

Finch fired a one-hitter, struck out 12, and walked just one to lead Team USA over the Stratford Brakettes 9-0 Sunday.

Finch did not allow a hit through seven innings, and gave up a one-out single to extra player Laura Trout with one out in the eighth. Brakettes shortstop Mandie Fishback, who took a bad hop to the head a night earlier and was sent to the hospital, played the game and walked in the first inning.

The Brakettes had been 40-0 prior to the game, but did not show any signs of anguish after the game, snapping photos of themselves and with members of Team USA prior to a post game autograph session.

“I’ve seen all the great players come through here, and just to have the opportunity to be on the field with them at the same time is truly an honor,” said Brakettes right fielder Amber Radomski, a Joel Barlow graduate who grew up as a bat girl for the 28-time ASA champions.

Current Masuk star Rachele Fico, who was charged with five earned runs which pitching the ninth inning, had the same feelings as Radomski after the game.

“It was just an awesome experience to throw against the greatest hitters in the world, and by far Team USA does have the greatest hitters in the world,” Fico said. “It was just awesome and so much fun to be out there.”

The game was a tune-up for Team USA, which is on the KFC Bound 4 Beijing Tour in preparation for the Olympics. The announced attendance at DeLuca was 3,300, which included fans seating in temporary bleachers set up behind the outfield fences.

The DeLuca Field refreshment stand, Brakettes and Team USA souvenir booths, and the rest rooms will be open. The bleachers will be partitioned off and no fans will be allowed in the seating area until the gates officially open at 5 p.m.

Fans with reserved seating will enter via the main entrance, adjacent to the ticket booth. General admission fans will enter via the back gate on the first base side of the field.

Four years ago fans attending the Team USA-Stratford Brakettes softball games arrived up to five hours before game time.

Why so early? Try merchandise.

One of the coveted souvenirs is the Team USA program book which is a must for the softball fan. The full color program has in-depth coverage of the entire Olympic Team roster and coaching staff, which includes former Brakettes Cat Osterman and Kelly Kretschman, along with USA alternate Lisa Fernandes, and Coach Karen (Sanchelli) Johns. This will be the last USA Olympic softball team until 2016 at the earliest.

The 9-inning affair is expected to begin at 7 p.m.

It could make for a long day for diehard softball fans. Following the game there will be a 20-minute cooling off and interview period for the players before they will sign autographs for 45 minutes.

Three members of the Danbury Westerners will play in the New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Star game Sunday in Torrington, representing the Southern Division.

Westerner shortstop Michael Olt was named the starter at shortstop. Olt, who plays collegiately at UConn, has started all 25 games for Danbury, and is hitting .265 with three home runs and 19 RBIs. He also has a team high 20 runs and is tied for the team lead with 27 hits.

Kyle Mahoney is a reserve catcher for the team. Mahoney, who plays ball at Avery Point, has started 13 games behind the plate and has appeared in 20.

Quinnipiac product Michael Oskandy was selected as a relief pitcher. He has made five starts for the Westerners, including two complete games, and has a 3.93 ERA. He is 2-3 on the season.

The Dominican National Team is made up of current college athletes, MLB players, MLB drafted athletes and currently active Dominican players. The Dominican National Team has members of the NY Yankees, Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians organizations on their roster. The manager of the team is former major leaguer, Dave Valdez (LA Dodgers / Seattle Mariners).

“It is thrilling to see such great players right here in Danbury,” Westerners general manager Terry Whalen said in a press release.

First baseman Jesse Hoorelbeke, outfielder Branden Florence and infielder Luis Lopez will all be in the starting lineup. Infielder Henry Mateo and outfielder Ryan Bear are reserves for the team while starting pitchers Eric DuBose and Barry Hertzler will both represent the Bluefish.

Hoorelbeke (.254, 15 HRs, 56 RBIs), the 2007 A.L. Co-Player of the Year, made the post-season All-Star team last year and now will be playing in his first mid-season contest. He currently shares the league lead in home runs with Ray Navarrete of Long Island and his RBI total ranks second in the league.

Florence (.328, 4 HRs, 30 RBIs) finished out the first half ranked ninth in the league in hitting. He suffered through some injuries the first couple of weeks of the season but became a staple in the Bluefish outfield once he returned to health with a consistently high level of play. His 12-game hit-streak in May currently stands as the second-longest Bluefish streak of the year.

Lopez (.361, 4 HRs, 48 RBIs) was one of the best hitters throughout the entire first half of the season. He currently ranks fourth in the league in batting (second among active players) with many stints in the top spot. His 91 hits lead the league and his 19 doubles and .454 on-base percentage both rank second. On the defensive side of things his .978 fielding percentage is best amongst everyday third basemen.

Mateo (.315, 2 HRs, 26 RBIs) has solidified the top of the lineup to give hitters behind him like Lopez and Hoorelbeke plenty of RBI opportunities. His 20 doubles and 59 runs scored are both league highs. He also has 27-multi hit performances on the year and a 13-game hitting streak, both team highs.

Bear (.320, 6 HRs, 34 RBIs) has been one of the more versatile yet consistent hitters on the Bluefish in the first half. He has made starts at six different spots in the batting order and played all outfield and corner infield positions defensively. His 77 hits are third highest on the team and his 45 runs rank second.

DuBose (4-2, 3.38 ERA, 77.1 IP) has given nothing but consistency to the Bluefish starting rotation. The southpaw has made ten quality starts in his 13 trips to the hill (12 starts). His ERA ranks third in the league (second among active pitchers) and his .242 opponent batting average is best among Tommy John’s starters.

Hertzler (3-5, 4.63 ERA, 81.2 IP) has made things easy on the Bluefish bullpen all year. The Central Connecticut State alum has pitched at least into the eighth inning in six of his 13 starts. He ranked among the league leaders in ERA for the majority of the first half.

The Atlantic League All-Star Game will be played at Commerce Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ on Wednesday, July 16.

So in case there were any doubters out there, hoping her Brakettes performance would expose some sort of weakness, something that would make her look like a 17-year-old-girl and not a stellar athlete who gave a verbal commitment to LSU as a Masuk High School junior…

Guess what? Rachele Fico is the real deal.

Fico compiled a perfect 27-0 record for Masuk, which won its second straight CIAC Class LL championship with a 1-0 victory over Naugatuck at DeLuca Field on June 8. She threw 12 no-hitters, seven perfect games, and struck out 486 batters in 195 innings. She allowed only 21 hits and walked just seven batters and she had a 0.07 ERA.

And you can’t blame that on poor hitting in the CIAC. Not when you’re a one-person wrecking crew, and then proved it again on a higher stage.

Now the Brakettes could use some fans in the seats, and hopefully the presence of Fico will get some out there. Why not? Local girl makes good. Everyone loves a success story.

Here’s to hoping she gets to put in some work - even if just for one inning - against Team USA this July 20.

According to a press release, the Bridgeport Bluefish make every effort to hire locally, purchase goods and services in the region and partner with schools and non-profits to help them in their fundraising or program efforts. Managers, coaches and players read at local libraries, visit hospitals, and attend neighborhood events and parades.

In 2007, the Bluefish enrolled over 27,000 children in its reading program. The team’s fundraising program has raised well over $1,000,000 for regional non-profit agencies, school programs, religious institutions and athletic organizations.

“We are very pleased to have won this award because it shows our commitment to ongoing, outstanding effort in the community,” said Bluefish general manager Todd Marlin said in a statement. “Our community involvement is something we take pride in and I know that we will continue to reach out in our Bridgeport community and the greater Bridgeport region.”

In 2008, the Bluefish have already enrolled thousands of children in this year’s reading program. The team’s fundraising program has raised almost $85,000 over the first month of the season and has quadrupled the amount of community appearances as they work to become an even larger part of the community.

“The Bridgeport region has many businesses that contribute endless hours of community service to our region,” Mary-Jane Foster, CEO of the Bluefish said. “We are proud to be one of the many businesses that give back to the community and especially proud to have been chosen as the recipient of this award because it is a reflection of our mission. “

The Seahawks went up 1-0 in the third inning of the opener after a double by Sarah Gates, who was sacrificed to third on a bunt by Jen Michaels, and scored on a double up the middle by Christine Bourdeau.

The Brakettes got the runs back in the bottom of the inning. Mandie Fischback bunted her way to first, and Whitney Mollica followed with a homer to left center. Jessica Mouse made it back-to-back shots with a homer off Seahawks starter Bren Gleason.

Brandice Balschmiter got her seventh win on the mound with a 13 strikeout performance.

In game two, the Seahawks grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning Michelle Libby doubled and scored on Kim Church’s sacrifice bunt and a Mollica throwing error. Jenn Rickel’s sac bunt, a comebacker by Michaels, and Lindsay Kinnel’s RBI single accounted for the second run off Brakettes starter Bailey Sanders.

But Mollica led off the home half of the second with a homer to left. And with two outs, Ashley Waters drilled a double to right center, and scored on Amber Radomski’s single to center for a 2-2 tie.

The last time the Brakettes trailed in both games of a doubleheader? According to the record books, it was July 1, 2006.