Bravehearts

Leominster, MA - After a home run derby victory on Friday night the Bravehearts looked to defeat the Silver Knights in a battle between the top two teams in the league. They just did that as they escaped with an 8-5 victory at Doyle Field. 

Angelo Baez got the win for Worcester and picked up his 100th career regular season strikeout. The righty out of St. Thomas Aquinas went six innings giving up five hits, two runs and a walk while recording eight strikeouts. With the win, Baez broke the Bravehearts’ win record with eight combined regular season and postseason wins. Nashua starter Joe Quintal got the loss giving up 6 runs (four earned).

A Luke Beckstein single put Nashua on the board in the second scoring John Mead. Nick Shumski scored in the same inning on a double steal as catcher Ben Rice (Dartmouth) threw down to second allowing Shumski to score. 

The Bravehearts cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning. Trevor Johnson (Dartmouth) doubled home Joe Pesce (NYIT) to make the score 2-1.

Worcester hit the Knights for five runs in the fifth. Donnie Cahoon (Hartford) reached on an error to start the inning, followed by another double by Johnson. Danny Torres (Saint Leo) walked and loaded the bases, and back-to-back singles by EJ Exposito (NYIT) and Rice gave Worcester a 3-2 lead. Ben McNeill (NYIT) continued the inning with a two-run double. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Pesce gave Worcester a 6-2 lead. 

Worcester extended their lead on a two-run home run by Aiden Wilde (Stonehill), which also scored Tyler Patane (Franklin Pierce). 

Nashua’s three-run comeback attempt in the eighth ultimately was cut short. Jakob Barker (Valdosta) got the save to shut the door in the ninth. 

Worcester improves to 15-7 on the season with the win. They travel to New Britain on Sunday to take on the New Britain Bees at 1:35 p.m. They return home on Monday to play the Brockton Rox at 6:00 p.m. beginning a three-game homestand.