JULY 8 UPDATE
COMMITMENTS
Katie Schroeder, OF, OC Batbusters, committed to UCLA
Michele and Katie Schroeder hitch a ride on the Spymobile
THE PROS
Heat Add
Former Arizona All-American
June 29, 2006 – Tucson, ARIZ – The Arizona Heat of the National Pro
Fastpitch league are proud to announce the signing of Arizona outfielder,
Autumn Champion. Champion will join the Heat this weekend for their
upcoming series with the USA National Team.
Champion, a member of the 2006 National Championship team at Arizona
finished her senior season hitting .408 with 22 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and
a team leading 57 runs. She was also named to the All Pac-10 team for the
third time in her career.
Poor Early Defense Leads to Lopsided Loss
Thunder commits four errors in the loss
LEAGUE CITY, Texas – The Connecticut Brakettes of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) earned a series split with the Texas Thunder on Saturday night by knocking off the home team 7-1 at Big League Dreams in League City.
After the first inning the Thunder trailed 2-0 and by the end of the second inning it was 6-0 in favor of the visiting Brakettes. Connecticut did swing the bats well in the game collecting 10 hits, but they also capitalized on all of the Texas miscues. The Thunder committed four errors in a game for the third time this season leading to the loss.
Besides the poor fielding in the game the real story may have been the work of league veteran Kaci Clark. Clark entered the week 0-2 with a seven-plus ERA in the circle, but she evened her record at 2-2 with two complete game wins. She allowed only one run over 14 innings of work in her two starts.
Rookie pitcher Krystal Lewallen took the loss for the Thunder to drop to 1-2 on the season. The youngster failed to make it out of the second inning before giving way to Christa Williams. Lewallen allowed four hits and five total runs in the game (four earned) as she lasted one inning, officially.
Williams, who pitched in the three of the four games in the series, went the next five innings and allowed five hits and two runs (one earned). She did, however, strike out seven in the game to increase her league-leading total to 83.
The offensive heroes in the game for Connecticut were Kelly Kretschman and Kellie Wilkerson. Kretschman, hitting out of the leadoff spot, was 3-for-4 in the game with two runs scored and an RBI. Wilkerson finished the night 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
Saturday night’s game was the final game between the two teams in Texas. The teams will match up in Stratford, Conn. for a four-game series beginning on Thursday night. All four games in Connecticut will be available live on the internet at www.ctbrakettes.com.
Heat
Blank Dominican Republic, Win Third Straight
July 8, 2006 – TUCSON, ARIZ – The Arizona Heat won their third straight
game over the Dominican Republic with another dominating pitching
performance from Desiree Serrano. The Heat used small ball on their way
to a 6-0 win, stealing a franchise record seven bases on the night.
Serrano was perfect through five innings on Thursday night and followed
that up with six shutout innings tonight. She worked out of trouble in
the first and sixth to preserve her sixth victory on the season. Serrano
allowed only four hits and did not walk a batter while striking out six.
April Valdez came on to throw a scoreless seventh for the Heat. Luisa
Nunez got the start for the Dominican and kept the Heat cold early on.
Nunez allowed only one hit through the first three innings, but was hit
pretty hard in the later innings. She finished with six innings pitch,
allowing six runs on nine hits.
The Dominican Republic were the first to threaten in the second using a
lead off single and an error to put two runners on with only one down.
After a sacrifice moved both runners into scoring position, Serrano struck
out Vitalia de la Rosa looking to end the inning.
Nunez continued to baffle Arizona hitters until the fourth when the Heat
scored the first run of the game. Crystal Farley led off with a walk and
stole second. Nunez retired the next two batters before Catalina Morris
ripped a triple to right scoring Farley.
The Heat would add another run in the fifth with a two-out rally. LaDonia
Hughes reached on a bunt single and stole second on the next pitch.
Autumn Champion would follow with a RBI single up the middle to put the
Heat up 2-0. Champion proceeded to steal second and third in the inning
on her way to a Heat franchise record, three steals in one game.
Arizona’s bats woke up in the sixth, scoring four more runs on five hits.
Morris reached on a bunt single and swiped second. Heather Scaglione
walked and pinch hitter Shana Easley delivered a RBI double to left.
Jackie Coburn’s two run single and Hughes’s RBI single would push the
score to 6-1.
Autumn Champion, LaDonia Hughes and Catalina Morris each collected two
hits, a RBI and combined to steal five bases. Champion swiped three bags
on the night, giving her six on the season in only seven games. Jackie
Coburn contributed two RBIs, giving her five on the season.