Lake Monsters pull away late, top Bravehearts

  • Vermont scores twice across final 2 innings, breaks 3-3 tie

    WORCESTER — The Worcester Bravehearts allowed a pair of runs across the final 2 innings before losing 5-3 to the Vermont Lake Monsters at Fitton Field Tuesday.

    Worcester rallied back from a 3-0 deficit in the seventh inning before falling behind late.

    After 2 scoreless innings from Shrewsbury’s Ben Griffith (Binghamton) for Worcester and Luke Parise for Vermont, the Lake Monsters struck first on a Mark Quatrain 2-run single in the third, then scored again against Evan Scully in the 4th on Wyatt Patchett’s sacrifice fly.

    Both pitching staff’s settled in during the middle innings, with Parise cruising through 5 scoreless innings, while ’Hearts right-hander Nick Coniglio (Northeastern) tossed a scoreless fifth. After a brief rain delay, Coniglio came back to pitch a 1-2-3 sixth, while Vermont reliever Brody Shawn answered with a scoreless frame of his own.

    After another scoreless frame from Coniglio, Worcester finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh. Hingham’s Timmy Wagner (Wheaton) led off by drawing a hit by pitch and moved to second on a Max LeFrancois ground ball.

    Worcester cut the lead to two runs when Shea Grady (Bryant) scored Wagner with a line drive single to right, then the Bravehearts tied the score at 3 when Max D’Alessandro (Rowan) chopped a 2-out, 2-run single through the left side. The Bravehearts left the bases loaded with the score even.

    Vermont responded immediately in the top of the eighth, taking the lead when Coniglio loaded the bases before Worcester walked in the go-ahead run. After the Bravehearts went down without a run in the eighth, Quatrain knocked in an insurance run with a ninth-inning RBI single. Worcester went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth, falling to 1-3 against Vermont for the 2024 season.

    The Bravehearts (22-20, 5th Place FCBL) and Lake Monsters (23-17, 4th) rematch at Fitton Field Wednesday. First Pitch has been moved up to 6 p.m.

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