Bravehearts

Leominster, MA- NYIT’s Joseph Pesce hit a solo home run in the seventh and a two-RBI double in the eighth to power the Worcester Bravehearts to a 5-2 win Saturday night at Doyle Field.

The win moves the Bravehearts to 8-4, extending their first-place lead in the Futures League. Nashua falls to 7-7.

Angelo Baez (St. Thomas Aquinas) earned the win for the Bravehearts, giving up two runs, one earned, on five hits across six innings while striking out 11. The 11 strikeouts moved Baez into the 100-strikeout club, where he joins Frankie Moscatiello and Jakob Barker as the only Bravehearts to strike out at least 100 batters.

Shea Ryan took the loss for Nashua, giving up a run on a hit while striking out three in 2.1 innings pitched.

Much of Worcester’s scoring came by way of the home run. Danny Torres (St. Leo) hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third. Ben Rice (Dartmouth) added another solo home run in the fourth.

Nashua tied things up in the top of the sixth with two runs on RBI singles by Jared Dupere and Dominic Keegan. Dupere’s single scored Max Viera while Keegan’s scored Dupere.

The Bravehearts took the lead back, however, on Pesce’s solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Pesce would add insurance in the bottom of the eighth when he hit a two-run double that scored Tyler Patane (Franklin Pierce) and Ben McNeill (NYIT). Worcester never looked back and took the win 5-2.

Picking up his first career Bravehearts save was Sebastian Gruszecki, who pitched three scoreless innings while giving up two hits and striking out two.

The Bravehearts are home again Sunday afternoon against the New Britain Bees. First pitch is set for 4:00.