University of Massachusets Athletics
Olympic Team Downs Brakettes; All Four Minutewomen See Action
July 21, 2008 | Softball
July 21, 2008
STRATFORD, Conn. - It was an opportunity of a lifetime for four UMass softball players on Sunday night, as their summer team, the Stratford Brakettes, took on the greatest softball team ever assembled, the 2008 United States National Team, at DeLuca Field in Stratford. Despite Team USA coming away with a 9-0 win in the nine-inning affair, the players gained valuable experience and memories that will surely last a lifetime. Two UMass alums also played in the game for the Brakettes.
The game was part of the National Team's Bound 4 Beijing Tour, which started in February and serves as the team's preparation for the Olympic Games. The Red, White, and Blue are now 56-1 during the tour with three games remaining. Their lone loss came at the hands of Virginia Tech, 1-0, on March 26. Team USA has dominated its opponents, outscoring them, 680-26, and outhitting them, .438 to .085.
The loss was the first of the season for the Brakettes, as they fell to 40-1 on the season. They have seven doubleheaders left on their schedule before heading to Amherst, N.Y. to defend their title at the ASA Women's Major National Championship on August 8-10.
Sunday's game started out as a tight one, with USA starter Jennie Finch and Brakettes starter Leslie Malerich matching zeros through two innings. The UMass battery of pitcher Brandice Balschmiter (Newark, N.Y.) and catcher Jessica Serio (Barrington, R.I) entered the game in the third inning and induced two quick groundouts from the number-nine and leadoff batters of the USA lineup. A two-out walk to Caitlin Lowe then set the table for Jessica Mendoza's two-run home run, her 20th of the tour, that made it 2-0. She then got out of the inning by striking out Team USA's top home run hitter, Crystl Bustos. The three-time A-10 Pitcher of the Year then went on to pitch a scoreless fourth inning.
UMass alum and Olympic gold medalist Danielle Henderson pitched the fifth and sixth innings for the Brakettes, allowing one run on four hits.
Bailey Sanders (Durham, Conn.) then pitched the seventh and eighth innings, allowing just one unearned run on three hits. In the eighth, she struck out USA first baseman Tairia Flowers.
UMass third baseman Whitney Mollica (Windham, N.H.) got the start at first base and batted cleanup for the Brakettes. She finished 0-for-3 on the night, but did deliver the hardest hit ball of Finch, a line-drive comebacker in the first that Finch was able to snare.
Serio caught the final seven innings for the Brakettes and went 0-for-2 at the plate, while UMass alum Denise Denis started in right field and was 0-3.
Finch finished with a complete game one-hitter, with Laura Trout providing Stratford's lone hit. Mendoza finished 4-for-5 with four runs scored, while Lowe was 3-for-4.
Team USA will play three more games after taking on the Brakettes, wrapping up its states-side play on July 26, before heading to Beijing to defend its gold medal. Team USA will meet Venezuela in its Olympic opener on August 12.