The Worcester Bravehearts went into last week needing wins to close the gap on the Futures Collegiate Baseball League’s final playoff spot, but despite a 2-4 week WooBall still has a fighting chance to make it to the post season.
After the usual off-day on Monday, Brockton was the visitor at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field, and the defense was the issue was Worcester committed five errors in a 3-2 loss. Sal Grinstead‘s second-inning sacrifice fly put WooBall on the board, but the Rox would score in the fifth and sixth to take a 3-1 lead. The Bravehearts would grab a run in the bottom of the ninth on an infield out, but the tying run would be stranded on third base.
It was off to Holman Stadium in Nashua for Wednesday’s game against the Silver Knights, and for a franchise record-breaking fifth time WooBall bad shut out, losing 3-0. Lewis Barnum and Jack Goodman both had doubles in the loss.
New Britain took the trip north to the HIP on Wednesday, and the long bus ride had no effect on the Bees as they scored five in the top of the first in handing WooBall a 9-5 loss. In the game, Worcester set a franchise record by committing seven errors. Those errors lead to six unearned runs.
A David Pedanou RBI single in the second made it 5-1, but New Britain score two more in the third to make it a 7-1 lead. In the home half Gavin Noriega doubled and eventually scored on a wild pitch, and in the fourth Noriega singled in a run and a second scored on an error to make it 7-4. The Bees added two more runs before Lewis Barnum‘s double knocked in WooBall’s fifth run.
Friday Worcester went south to New Britain, and after losing two multi-run leads scored four in the top of the ninth to beat the Bees 12-11. WooBall opened the scoring in the third on Matty Warren‘s two-run double, and Matt Livingston‘s third-inning RBI single in the fourth made it 3-0. In the fifth, the Bravehearts got runs on a wild pitch and a Jake Marquez double for a 5-0 lead, and it looked like Kyle Rizy was going to win his third game of the summer as he allowed just one hit and struck out five in his five-inning stint.
But the Bees had other ideas and made it 5-5 after six frames. WooBall came roaring back with three in the top half of the seventh on a Kosta Drosidis sacrifice fly and RBI singles by Marquez and Sal Grinstead. In the home half, New Britain once again put up a five-spot and then added a run in the eighth for good measure.
Down four heading to the ninth Worcester mounted another comeback, with David Pedanou‘s bases-loaded infield single scoring a run and WooBall grabbing another run on the play due to an error. Two batters later Andrew Chronister ripped a single to left to score two more and give Wooball the 12-11 lead. Axel Johnson made that run stand up in the bottom of the ninth for his first win of the season.
Saturday the Bravehearts went to Burlington, Vermont for the first of a pair of weekend games at Centennial Field against the Lake Monsters and suffered one of the worst defeats in franchise history as they squandered a 9-0 lead in the late innings and lost 13-10.
In the second inning Andrew Chronister RBI single opened the scoring. A third frame double by Jake Marquez scored two, and a squeeze bunt by Matt Livingston scored another. WooBall also scored three in the fourth on an infield error, a Gavin Noriega steal of home, and a Lewis Barnum RBI single. Another infield error in the fifth scored Worcester’s eighth run, and in the sixth, a Marquez RBI single made it 9-0.
And then the wheels completely fell off for WooBall pitchers as Vermont scored 13 runs over the next three frames to win. The Bravehearts’ final run came on Chronister’s eight-inning RBI single, his fourth hit of the game.
Game two between the clubs was Sunday, and this time WooBall jumped out to an early lead and kept in as they defeated the Lake Monsters 11-4. Worcester made it a big lead after the first inning when Lewis Barnum‘s triple scored two runs. Three pitches later Cam Seymour homered to make it 4-0. Three batters later Cam Caraher singled in a run to make it 5-0.
Seymour’s two-run double in the fourth made it a 7-2 game, and in the fifth frame a Matty Warren two-run single and Gavin Noriega bases-loaded walk made it 10-2. The Bravehearts’ 11th run came on a Caraher RBI single in the sixth. Clay Robbins earned the win in a six-inning stint, scattering six his while striking out five. Coleman Picard earned the three-inning save.
210Sports’ Bravehearts of the week
Pitcher: Kyle Rizy is the easy choice this week, throwing five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and two walks and striking out five.
Batter: Andrew Chronister is this weeks winner, going 8-16 with 4 RBI and three walks.
This week’s opponents (Schedule subject to change)
Monday off
Tuesday off
Wednesday vs Westfield, DH, 5pm (Bravehearts will be road team in game #1)
Thursday vs New Britain, 10:30am
Friday vs New Britain, 6:30pm
Saturday vs Pittsfield, 6:30pm
Sunday vs Norwich, 4pm
Tickets to Bravehearts home games can be purchased online or by calling (508) 438-3773.
Around the FCBL
Tuesday
@Westfield 3, Nashua 0 (game 1, 7 innings)
Nashua 12, Westfield 2 (game 2, 7 innings)
Vermont 4, @Norwich 3
@New Britain 5, Pittsfield 3
Wednesday
@Westfire 4, Norwich 0
New Britain 4, @Pittsfield 3
@Brockton 10, Vermont 7
Thursday
Brockton 6, @Norwich 4
@Nashua 14, Pittsfield 1 (7 innings, mercy)
@Vermont 11, Westfield 1 (7 innings, mercy)
Friday
@Vermont 9, Norwich 4
Nashua 7, @Brockton 5
Westfield 16, @Pittsfield 6 (7 innings, mercy)
Saturday
Nashua 17, @Brockton 9
@Norwich 8, Westfield 5
Pittsfield 6, New Britain 1
Sunday
@New Britain 8, Westfield 3
@Norwich 4, Nashua 1
@Brockton 14, Pittsfield 13
For frequent updates on the Worcester Bravehearts follow @210Darryl on twitter.
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