2009

Her team trailing 5-2 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Florida senior lofted a deep drive down the left-field line. Hitless in nine at-bats in this year’s World Series at the time, and owning just three hits in her past 34 at-bats overall, there was every reason to think Gardiner’s ball would settle into a glove for the final out, sending the teams on to a winner-take-all second game later […]

MILFORD — There came a point, a couple of years ago, when some of Rachele Fico’s unique brand of heat was starting to make her dad a touch uneasy. Far be it from Ralph Fico to let on, though. He refused to wear catcher’s equipment, even though Rachele’s rise ball started to pop at 68 mph and his eyesight may not have been what it once was. Read More

When Ali Gardiner steps into the batter’s box, she only hears one voice resonating from the stands. It’s the same voice she heard as a 12-year-old working on her game in the basement of her home in New York – the voice that not only helped teach her how to perform on the field, but off the field as well. Read More