WESTFIELD – The Worcester Bravehearts nearly doubled their season home run total with six long balls in a twin bill sweep over the Westfield Starfires, winning 8-1 in game one, and taking game two 13-6, Wednesday at Bullens Field.
The Bravehearts end the day at 8-4 riding a six-game win streak and putting them in a tie atop the FCBL standings with the Vermont Lake Monsters. On the opposite end, the Starfires are now at 4-9 after dropping six straight.
The Bravehearts started the scoring in the first one one right away as Jackson Marshall roped a two-run home run and Worcester had an early 2-0 lead off Marshall’s fourth home run of the season.
The Bravehearts went on to add another run in the second off a single, wild pitch, then a run-scoring single to push their lead to 3-0.
In the top of the third, future Connecticut Husky Evan Menzel reached on a base hit for his second single of the day. Menzel stole second and then FIU Panther Alex Ulloa, making his Starfires debut, blooped a single just behind the bag at first. The speedy Menzel scored from second to put the Starfires on the board to make the game 3-1.
After starter Tanyon Weber tossed a scoreless third, and Sacred Heart Pioneer Aidan Gray followed that up with a three up, three down fourth, the Bravehearts struck again in the fifth.
The inning began with a walk and a bunt single to bring up Marshall once again. Marshall crushed a ball to deep left center that marginally stayed in the ballpark for a double, scoring Worcester’s fourth run of the game.
The game became a calamity in the sixth as nine Bravehearts were sent to the plate which resulted in four runners crossing the plate for Worcester, doubling their run total and making the contest 8-1 in favor of the Bravehearts.
The Starfires did get two runners on in the sixth with Ulloa’s second single of the game and Anthony Ruggiero reaching on an error, but stringing together multiple hits continued to be a struggle for Westfield, as they failed to score once again. The Starfires were retired in order in the seventh, and the Bravehearts came out on top with an 8-1 victory to start the day.
To begin game two, the Bravehearts clubbed another two-run home run in the first inning, and the Starfires found themselves playing from behind again.
In the bottom of the inning, the Starfires got going with a leadoff walk from Ben Williams, a single from Menzel, and a groundball to put both in scoring position with one away. Then, Northeastern’s Ruggiero hit a groundball that went through the middle of the infield to score two runs to tie the game.
The Starfires got another run on the scoreboard in the third inning that started with Ulloa’s third single of the day, then John Mass drawing four balls to reach base. Brown’s Alex Benevento stepped up to the plate, and despite falling behind in the count 1-2, Benevento laced a ball into left field for a base hit, scoring Ulloa and giving the Starfires their first lead of the day, now up 3-2.
This lead did not last long, however, with the Bravehearts responding with a hit-by-pitch, a single, and a double to score two, switching the one-run lead in their favor.
More runs came across the plate in the fifth inning for Worcester as they continued to show off the power they are known for with back-to-back-to-back solo homers, and suddenly, the Bravehearts led 7-3.
After the Bravehearts got their lead out to 9-3, the Starfires struck in the bottom of the sixth. Benevento led off the inning with an infield single, then Keene State product Jonathon Chatfield launched a ball over the right-center field wall to give the home team a little bit of life with the game now at 9-5.
Chatfield became the first Starfire to homer at Bullens this summer as well as the first to hit multiple home runs on the season.
The Starfires found themselves down 13-5 entering the final inning, but Ruggiero added his fourth hit of the day with a home run into left field with two outs in the seventh. Despite this though, the Bravehearts came out of Bullens with a series sweep, winning 13-6 to close the day.
It does not get any easier for the Starfires, as they will head up to Burlington to take on the league-leading Vermont Lake Monsters Thursday, June 12, with first pitch at 6:35 p.m.
Tickets to all Starfires home games can be found at www.westfieldstarfires.com.
