After an off day on Monday, the Worcester Bravehearts started the fourth week of the Futures League’s season by hosting Westfield, where both teams had five-run frames but WooBall was able to hold on for a 6-5 win.
The Bravehearts jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second when Cordell Clinkingbeard scored on a throwing error. In the fourth, Cole Hambly opened the scoring on an infield error. An Andrew Schmit double scored two, and Jordan Luna followed with a two-run shot to left-center to make it 6-0. The Starfires would come back with five in the fifth, but that would be all the scoring in the game.
Connor Herlihy earned the win, while Lane Leclair picked up the team’s first save of the season.
It was off to LeLacheur Park in Lowell on Wednesday for the Bravehearts as they took on the Spinners, and WooBall scored early and often before gliding to a 16-7 victory.
Hunter St. Denis got the scoring started with a run on an error in the top of the first. In the second, Gill Dolan doubled in a run and later scored on a wild pitch. Worcester then loaded the bases, where Tate Bannish walked to drive in a run, and Benny Hess followed with the painful RBI by being hit by a pitch. In the next inning, a St. Denis RBI double made it 6-0.
A Jake Yang bases-loaded double in the fourth, followed by him scoring on an infield error, increased the Bravehearts’ lead to 10-0. In the sixth, a Jack Murray sacrifice fly tacked on another run. Lowell put up six in the home half of that frame, but Worcester answered right back in the seventh on a Cole Travers RBI single, a bases-loaded walk by Brayden Cali, and then Bannish scoring on a passed ball. In the eighth, Julian Mercado and Travers both added RBI doubles to cap the WooBall runs at 16.
Starter Stephen Rickert went five innings of scoreless ball for the win, allowing just three hits and faced just two batters over the minimum. He was the FCBL’s “Pitcher of the Night”. Travers made it a clean sweep of the awards by winning the “Player of the Night” with his 4-5 night, scoring twice and knocking in three runs.
With rain in the forecast and a tornado watch for the area, the Bravehearts decided to call off their game against Norwich early to avoid the Sea Unicorns having to travel through a potential storm. That proved to be a great call, as torrential downpours and a radar-indicated tornado warning would have made play impossible.
After a scheduled off day on Friday, Worcester was back at it Saturday as they hosted Norwich, with the Sea Unicorns handing WooBall a 3-2 loss in a very quick game that lasted just 2:34.
Hunter St. Denis got the Bravehearts on the board in the bottom of the first with an RBI single, but Norwich would take the lead with single runs in the second and third. Dante Ruby homered in the third to tie it 2-2, but the Sea Unicorns would get a homer in the fifth for the eventual 3-2 win.
On Sunday the Bravehearts went north to Nashua, and got some decent pitching but their bat were mostly silent in a 3-1 loss to the Silver Knights. Down 3-0 in the seventh, Worcester would get its lone run when Gabe Malaret tripled and scored on an infield out. Kyle McLaughlin and Lane Leclair both had scoreless relief stints.
210Sports’ Bravehearts of the week
Pitcher: Steven Rickert gets the nod this week for his five-inning win where he didn’t allow a run and struck out four.
Batter: Jordan Luna is the winner this week, going 3-6 with a home run and two RBI.
This week’s opponents
Monday: vs Norwich Sea Unicorns, 6:30 PM
Tues: at Norwich Sea Unicorns, 6:30 PM
Wednesday: vs Nashua Silver Knights, 6:30 PM
Thursday: at Westfield Starfires, 6:30 PM
Friday: vs Lowell Spinners, 6:30 PM
Saturday: Off Day
Sunday: at Westfield Starfires (at Forest Park, Springfield, MA), 4:00 PM
Tickets to Bravehearts home games can be purchased online or by calling (508) 438-3773.
Around the FCBL
Monday
Westfield 1, @ Nashua 0
@ New Britain 10, Lowell 0; 8 innings, mercy
Norwich 7, Vermont 3
Tuesday
Vermont 7, @ Norwich 2
Nashua 7, @ Lowell 1
Wednesday
@ Norwich 7, Vermont 4
@ New Britain 6, Nashua 5
Thursday
@ Nashua 10, Lowell 4
Westfield 9, @ New Britain 8
Friday
@ Westfield 4, Lowell 3
Norwich 8, @ New Britain 4
Nashua @ Vermont; ppd, rain
Saturday
@ Lowell 5, New Britain 3
@ Vermont 4, Westfield 1
Sunday
New Britain 14, Westfield 1; 7 innings, mercy
@ Vermont , Lowell
For frequent updates on the Worcester Bravehearts, follow @210Darryl and @210Sports on Twitter.
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