By Tim Parry

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.

By Tim Parry
It’s true, the summertime is a busy season in Fairfield County. If you’re not hitting a movie or a dining (or drinking) establishment, it’s a Bluefish game. And the malls, the summer concert series’ can get in the way, as do the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox, whether live or on the screen.

And they all are fighting for your hard-earned dollar. Or to keep that paycheck in your bank account.

But one of the oldest sports traditions in Fairfield County is also one of the most obscure to those who aren’t softball purists. That would be the 61-year-old Stratford Brakettes.

The days of when thousands of fans would circle either Raybestos Memorial Field or Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field on a nightly basis have passed. But if you want to see some of the most talented fast-pitch players take the field, then there’s no reason to pass the 27-time ASA champion Brakettes by.

Here’s 10 reasons to catch a Brakettes game (or two) this summer:

1. Double-headers (almost) every night: Where else can you get twice the bang for your buck these days?
2. Free parking: And on top of that, an easy shot off I-95 once you reach the Lordship and Sikorski areas. Traffic is not a problem.
3. Don Zimmer’s granddaughter: Really, she’s a Brakette. Whitney Mollica, number 23 on your scorecard. And the first baseman is batting well over .500 with five homers on the season. In the Tampa Bay area, though, Zimmer is known as Whitney’s grampa.
4. A local connection: Amber Radomski once dominated the field at Joel Barlow, now she is living her lifelong dream of being a Brakette. She’s a role model local kids can look up to, and proof that any goal can be achieved with hard work.
5. Your new local hero: Rachele Fico, the Oxford resident and Masuk pitching star, will make her Brakettes debut on Sunday. Last time I talked with her she was heading to Florida to play for a premiere U18 team, so skip Sunday dinner and check her out.
6. Fico’s future teammate: Third baseman Jessica Mouse just completed her freshman year at Louisiana State University, where Fico will be starting in the fall of 2009. And she’s proven why LSU attracts some of the best players in the nation.
7. Olympians: OK, two current Brakettes just missed out on making it to the last-ever Olympic competition. Leslie Malerich, who is riding a hot streak on the mound right now, is a member of the Italy national team, and Jenna Lopez’s Puerto Rico team missed qualifying for Bejing, losing to Venezuela in the qualification round finals.
8. And more Olympians: Sunday, July 20, Team USA comes to town for a one-game match-up with the Brakettes. We’re talking Jennie Finch and Lisa Fernandez, folks, right here in our backyard.
9. Legendary coach John Stratton: For those keeping score at home, the Friday night sweep against the Stratford Seahawks gave Stratton a 654-89 career record. This is his 30th season as a coach with the Brakettes, and his 12th as the manager.
10. Good eats: What’s a ballgame without a good concession stand? A horrible experience, that’s what. Best fries in Stratford, plus no need to break the bank to feed a family of four.

So there you have it. If you don’t believe me, here’s a link to the Brakettes schedule. Come on out and give me more reasons to hit the field.