Bravehearts

Worcester, MA - The Worcester Bravehearts ended a six-game losing streak with a 7-6 win against the Brockton Rox on Sunday afternoon. After the Bravehearts lead 7-1 through seven innings, the Rox scored four runs in the eighth, and another in the ninth to cut the lead to one. With one out and the bases loaded, Axel Johnson (Stevens) came in to record the save, getting a strikeout and groundout to end it. 

Jack Goodman (Pepperdine) got the scoring going early for Worcester with a solo home run in the first inning. The Rox answered in the third with a solo home run by Chenar Brown (Jackson State) in the third. 

It was all Worcester from the bottom of the third until the bottom of the seventh, as they outscored the rox 6-0 in that period, highlighted by Mark Daraky (Northeastern) and Andrew Chronister (Shippensburg) RBI singles, and a Sal Grinstead (Palm Beach Atlantic) RBI triple. Grinstead finished the day 2-5 with two runs and an RBI. 

After four scoreless relief innings from Worcester’s Gavin Price (Fairleigh Dickinson), the Bravehearts began to unravel in the eighth inning. Four runs for Brockton were scored, all charged to Price, with only one of them being earned.

Jared Kapurch (St. Petersburg) was called upon in the ninth to close the door, protecting a 7-5 lead. Kapurch got the first out in the inning, but it was followed by a walk and hit by pitch. Cam Seymour (Southern Maine) was the next man up for the Bravehearts. Seymour allowed back-to-back walks and manager Alex Dion went with a third pitching change in the inning, bringing on Johnson with the bases loaded, one out, and the Bravehearts leading 7-6. Johnson’s strikeout and ground out ended the game and the Bravehearts were able to hold on for the victory. 

The team has an off day tomorrow before playing a doubleheader in Nashua on Tuesday. Worcester returns home Wednesday to take on the Norwich Sea Unicorns. First pitch is at 6:30 pm.