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'Heart Split Double-HeaderNew Britain, CT— In the continuation of a game suspended last Tuesday, June 22, at Fitton Field, the Bravehearts finished the job one week later in a mercy-rule shortened 14-4 victory over the New Britain Bees at New Britain Stadium.
The game was suspended in the bottom of the 3rd inning in Worcester with the Bravehearts leading, 3-2. That score held up until the 7th inning today when the Bravehearts sent 13 men to the plate and scored 7 runs. Nick Martin (Westfield State) doubled in two runs in the frame with a shot off the left-field wall. Randy Flores (Franklin Pierce) followed with a 2-run double off the center field wall. Zach DeMattio (Wheaton) and Kenny Mallory, Jr. (Vanderbilt) also added RBI singles in the inning.
Andrew Selima (Merrimack) homered prior to the rain suspension in Worcester and also scored three runs in the contest.
Grafton-native Tyler Neilsen (University of Maine) got the victory after pitching 4 scoreless innings and giving up just 2 hits and 2 walks on the day.
The Bravehearts ended the game in the bottom of the 8th due to the new Futures League 10-run mercy rule. Since Worcester was playing as the home team, Mallory Jr’s two-out, bases-clearing double made the score 14-4 and secured the victory for the Bravehearts. Mallory drove in 4 runs in the game while going 2-4 with a walk at the plate.
Every member of the Bravehearts’ lineup today scored at least one run.
New Britain’s Jake Hyde (Georgetown) and Michael Hernandez (Sacred Heart) had run-scoring hits for the Bees in the game.
With the win, the Bravehearts improve to 15-12 while New Britain drops to 12-16. The two teams will play a 7-inning regularly scheduled game later tonight.
Game 2:
For one inning, it looked like New Britain would have a field day with the Bravehearts. Two innings later, Worcester gained their swagger back. In the end, it was the New Britain Bees who persevered and walked off with a 9-8 victory in the 7th inning of Game 2 of today’s doubleheader.
Luke Broadhurst (Eastern Connecticut State University) flared a broken-bat single up the middle with two outs in the 7th inning to plate Luke Masiuk (Northeastern University) in the Bees victory. Bravehearts’ pitcher Chris Radovic (Clark University) took the loss in the back-and-forth game.
Down 5-1, the Bravehearts put a crooked number on the board in the top of the third inning. Zach DeMattio (Wheaton) singled to start the inning and Gavin Noriega (Marist) tripled off the wall in center field to score him. The next batter, left-fielder Alex Neff (Dayton), launched a 2-run home run deep over the right-field fence to make it 5-4. After a double by Shrewsbury’s Christian Siciliano (Southern Maine) and back-to-back walks, Franklin Pierce’s Randy Flores tripled down the line in right to give the Bravehearts their first lead. El Rico Riley (Jackson State) - who singled in the first Bravehearts’ run in the 2nd inning - picked up his second RBI with a single to left field to give Worcester an 8-5 lead.
New Britain batted around in the first inning off Andrew Ruggiero (University of Maine) and scored 5 runs. Ruggiero struggled with his control, walking 5 in the inning and throwing two wild pitches that each scored a run for the Bees. The big blast was a two-run triple off the wall in right field by Jack Scher (Wesleyan).
Holden’s L.J. Keevan (UMass-Lowell) entered the game in the second inning and gave the Bravehearts some much-needed innings out of the bullpen. He worked out of jams in the 2nd and 3rd innings, but surrendered a long home run to Broadhurst in the 4th to bring New Britain within a run. Keevan worked 3 innings, striking out 6.
Trailing 8-7 in the 6th inning, Davis Cop (University of Utah) singled in Ryan Bagdasarian (Eastern Connecticut State University) to tie the game for New Britain.
With the win, the Bees improve to 13-16 while the Bravehearts drop to 15-13. Worcester returns home to host the Brockton Rox Wednesday night at 6:30.
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