Laccona’s slam powers Brakettes
STRATFORD — Like a lot of her Stratford Brakettes teammates, Gabby Laccona felt she had some unfinished business at the Women’s Majors Softball national tournament at DeLuca Field this weekend.
She took care of a little of it Saturday night, belting a grand slam that capped a six- run top of the first in the Brakettes’ 11- 0, fiveinning win over the Connecticut Eliminators 18plus team.
“Last year I kind of felt guilty, because I was one of the last outs before we got beat by Nook Gold,” Laccona said; that 2- 1 loss was in the winners bracket semifinal, the same round as this win over the Eliminators, and the Brakettes wound up fifth, their lowest national- tournament finish in two decades.
“So that kind of set the mood for the rest of the tournament. This year, I felt, I need to make up for what I did last year.”
Laccona, the former standout Westhill shortstop, and former St. Joseph High standout Lauren Pitney had a home run and five RBIs apiece for the Brakettes, who were set to face the defending WMS champion St. Louis Saints late Saturday in the winners bracket final.
“Gabby’s been hitting the ball good. Down in Pennsylvania ( last week), she crushed the ball,” Brakettes manager John Stratton said.
“She’s grown a bit. I think she’s a better hitter. She played short in Pennsylvania and did a great job for us.”
Laccona, who has been the designated player in the tournament, was Liberty League rookie of the year for Ithaca College this spring, playing a few different positions.
“I’m DP now. I can’t do much on defense,” Laccona said. “I definitely think I’m a smarter baserunner from college. My mechanics are a little different in the swing, but 100 percent baserunning is probably strongest.”
One tournament game got in on time Saturday morning before a deluge brought on a nearly fivehour delay. A few games were rearranged, and the teams that lost the winners bracket semifinals, Nook Gold and the Eliminators, will need to win five
straight games on Sunday to win the tournament.
Sunday’s championship game is set for 3: 30 p. m., with a second game to follow if necessary. Six teams will remain alive Sunday morning.
After three hits and a couple of walks off Eliminators pitcher Kristi Van Meter, who pitched a four- hit shutout against the Brakettes on June 21, the Brakettes had a 2- 0 lead Saturday.
That brought up Laccona for her second home run of the Brakettes’ season, both grand slams.
“I actually thought it wasn’t going over. I hit it, and I thought I popped up,” Laccona said. “I saw ( left fielder Katelyn Lipsky) run to the fence, and it went over, and I was like, ‘ OK.’
“Alex Heinen was on second, and she was calling pitches, in or out. Inside is definitely my weaker pitch. She called inside, so I was ready. When I crossed home plate, I was like, ‘ Thank you.’”
Shelton’s Kaysee Talcik pitched a twohitter for the Brakettes, striking out six.
Going into the late game against the Saints, the Brakettes had outscored opponents 46- 4, with all four games ending early due to the mercy rule.
“As long as we keep hitting,” Stratton
said.
“We hit the ball on the nose. That first kid ( Van Meter), she’s the one that beat us at the beginning of the year, that threw a lot of changeups at us. When she’s throwing strikes with changeups, she’s super, but when she’s not throwing strikes with changeups, then she struggles a bit.”
Jenn Shellhammer pitched a no- hitter in the Lyons Spirit’s 5- 0 losers- bracket win over Xtreme Chaos, striking out 19.