Bravehearts Dropped by Pittsfield 11-7
June 22, 2016 - Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL)
Worcester Bravehearts News Release
After a rare two-day break for the Worcester Bravehearts (11-5), the Pittsfield Suns (9-9) rolled into Worcester and brought their power bats with them, beating a rested Bravehearts team 11-7 at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field in Worcester. Nearly 2,000 fans showed up for the Bravehearts' annual "Bark in the Park" night.
Pittsfield got things going in the first inning when Eric Hamilton (SUNY Oswego/Liverpool, N.Y.) hit an RBI double off Tom Horstkotte (Assumption/Milford, MA) to give the Suns an early 1-0 lead.
The Bravehearts battled right back though with two runs in the second inning thanks to an RBI single from Dante Ricciardi (St. Petersburg/West Boylston, MA) and an RBI double from Chad Miller (Saint Leo/Sarasota, FL) giving the Bravehearts a 2-1 lead.
After a solo home run from Brian Moskey (Quinnipiac/Higgamun, CT) evened the score at 2-2 in the third, the Suns scored twice in the fifth inning, one because of a balk and the other on an RBI double.
Horstkotte went 3 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits while walking two batters and striking out three. His counterpart, Ryan Simpler (East Tennessee State/Lewes, DE), went five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, walking two batters and striking out six.
Worcester struck back in the sixth inning, starting with an RBI double from Miller, followed by a bases-clearing triple from Mike Coggeshall (Assumption/Shrewsbury, MA), once again giving the Bravehearts the lead 6-4. Coggeshall finished 4-for-5 with three runs batted in a home run shy of the cycle.
Yet, in what seemed more like a game of tug of war than baseball, the Suns showed their resilience and power as they scored three runs in the seventh inning and four big ones in the eighth, thanks to a grand slam from Hamilton, who finished with five RBIs on the night, pushing thier lead to 11-6.
The Bravehearts showed some power of their own with a solo shot from John Friday (Franklin Pierce/Marlborough, MA) in the eighth, cutting the lead to 11-7, but that would be as close as it would get for the Bravehearts.
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Futures Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 22, 2016
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