The Worcester Bravehearts might be entering the hottest part of the year but they find themselves cooling down after several late-inning collapses lead to a 2-5 week. Currently, WooBall is sixth in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League standings and closer to last than they are first.
After the usual off-day on Monday, it was north to Holman Stadium in Nashua for a twin bill Tuesday against the Silver Knights. Game one was all Worcester as the Bravehearts pummeled Nashua 11-1 in a contest stopped after five innings due to the Futures Collegiate Baseball League’s mercy rule.
WooBall scored a run in the opening frame on a fielder’s choice and then blew the game open with a five-spot in the second. Sebastian Mexico started with scoring with an RBI double, and then he scored on David Pedanou‘s single to center. Two batters later another run would score on an infield error, and then Matt Livingston singled to center to drive in two more runs.
They grabbed four more runs in the fourth, with Pedanou doubling in a run and Gavin Noriega following with a two-run single to left. They’d then score the fourth run on a Silver Knights’ outfield error. Worcester’s eleventh run came on a fifth-inning RBI single by Cam Seymour. Joe Hauser earned the complete-game win, scattering three hits while striking out four.
Nashua got some payback in the night cap as WooBall wouldn’t get the timely hit in a 4-0 loss. Andrew Chronister and Brandon Grover both had doubles in the contest but neither could advance beyoond second base.
Norwich was the visitor at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field Wednesday, and while WooBall jumped out to an early lead a ten-run fifth by the Sea Unicorns was too big a hill to climb in a 13-6 loss for the Bravehearts. WooBall got off to a great start when Sal Grinstead tripled and Jack Goodman doubled him home. Two batters later a Lewis Barnum sacrifice fly would make it 2-0.
The Sea Unicorns grabbed three in the third to take the lead, but a Gavin Noriega sac fly in the home half knotted the score 3-3. In the fourth a Matty Warren RBI single gave WooBall a lead, but then the wheels fell off as it took three Bravehearts pitchers to get through the fifth inning. An Andrew Chronister fifth-frame RBI single and a Noriega sixth-inning RBI double made it the 13-6 final.
The Bravehearts hosted New Britain on Thursday, and it all Worcester early as WooBall would come out on top 12-8. The Bravehearts jumped out of the gate fast, getting two runs in the bottom of the first on a Kosta Drosidis double. In the second WooBall scored three more times, with Jack Goodman plating one with a single and Gavin Noriega knocking in two with a base hit.
It was 5-5 after four when Worcester blew the game open with a six-spot in the fifth. With the bases loaded Mark Darakjy walked and Connor Peek singled to make it 7-5. Sebastian Mexico then followed with a bases-clearing double. Two batters later Gavin Noriega knocked in Mexico to make it 11-5. Kosta Drosidis‘ RBI single in the seventh made it a 12-5 game, and New Britain would make the score respectable with three in the ninth for the final.
Brockton visited the HIP on Friday, and as has happened a lot this season WooBall pitching failed them in a 11-4 loss. The Rox scored in the top of the first, but WooBall tied in the home half on an infield out. That was as close as the score would get the rest of the way as Brockton put up three in the second to begin to pull away.
Worcester got one back in the second on a Matty Warren RBI double, and Gavin Noriega‘s fifth-inning two-run single cut the Rox lead to 6-4. But that would be all the scoring for the Bravehearts.
The Bravehearts went south on Saturday to take on the Sea Unicorns, and despite controlling the early part of the game they just couldn’t stop the Norwich offense as the Sea Unicorns walked off with a 10-9 win.
WooBall put up four in the first behind a Lewis Barnum two-run double, a Trey Bourque RBI infield single, and a Mark Darakjy bases-loaded hit by pitch. Norwich would manage to make it a 4-4 game after three, but once again Worcester jumped out to a big lead with five runs in the fourth.
A Barnum single plated the first run, Jake Marquez followed with an RBI hit of his own, and then Cam Seymour crushed a three-run homer to make it 9-4 Bravehearts. But the Sea Unicorns weren’t done, and slowly battled back, scoring three in the bottom of the ninth to walk off with the win.
It was off to New Britain Stadium to end the week for Worcester and has been an issue all season long the Bravehearts bullpen had issues getting batters out 6-3 loss to the Bees. Joe Pesce‘s RBI single in the second gave WooBall an early lead, but the Bees would tie it in the third. Back-to-back sixth-inning singles from David Pedanou and Matt Livingston put Worcester up 3-1, but New Britain would tie it in the home half and take a 6-3 lead with two runs in the seventh.
210Sports’ Bravehearts of the week
Pitcher: Joe Hauser is this week’s winner with a 5-inning complete-game win. He scattered three hits and struck out four for his first FCBL victory.
Batter: Gavin Noriega gets the nod this week, going 16-29 with a double and nine RBI. He also broke the WooBall franchise record for most consecutive multi-hit games with six.
This week’s opponents (Schedule subject to change)
Monday at Nashua, 11am
Tuesday off
Wednesday at Pittsfield, 10:30am
Thursday vs Brockton, 7pm
Friday at Pittsfield, 6:30pm
Saturday vs Brockton, 1pm
Sunday vs Pittsfield, 4pm
Tickets to Bravehearts home games can be purchased online or by calling (508) 438-3773.
Around the FCBL
Tuesday
@Pittsfield 1, Vermont 0
@Norwich 5, Westfield 4
New Britain 7, @Brockton 3 (game 1, 7 innings)
@Brockton 4, New Britain 3 (game 2, 7 innings)
Wednesday
@Nashua 4, Westfield 3
@New Britain 11, Brockton 5
Vermont 11, Pittsfield 1 (8 innings, mercy)
Thursday
@Nashua 9, Vermont 3
@Pittsfield 7, Westfield 3
@Norwich 7, Brockton 6
Friday
New Britain 5, @Norwich 3
Westfield 11, @Pittsfield 5
Nashua 8, @Vermont 7
Saturday
@Nashua 5, Pittsfield 4
@Vermont 5, Westfield 2
Brockton @ New Britain, pdd, rain
Sunday
@Vermont 8, Westfield 4
Brockton 8, @Pittsfield
@Nashua 3, Norwich 1
For frequent updates on the Worcester Bravehearts follow @210Darryl on twitter.
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