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Late Bullpen Struggles Sink 'Hearts

Burlington, VT - The Bravehearts’ defense let them down again, committing four errors in a game they led 9-0 and ultimately lost 13-10 to the Vermont Lake Monsters. The loss was the 8th in-a-row for the Bravehearts against the Lake Monsters.
 
The game-changing error occurred in the bottom of the 8th inning with Worcester clinging to a 10-9 lead.  With the bases loaded and two outs, Tommy Hawke (Wake Forest) hit a roller to shortstop that went through the legs of Worcester’s Kosta Drosidis (Anna Maria) and scored three runs, giving the Lake Monsters their first lead of the game. Vermont would add one more on an RBI single, and Wyatt Cameron (New England College) closed out the Bravehearts in the 9th inning to secure the win.
 
The defensive miscues overshadowed an otherwise great day for the Bravehearts at the plate.
 
Jake Marquez (Maine) had a stellar night, going 3 for 5 at the plate and scoring four runs. He doubled to left-field in the 3rd inning, scoring Kosta Drosidis (Anna Maria) and Gavin Noriega (Marist) to give the Bravehearts a 3-0 lead. He drove in a run in the 6th inning with a solid single to center, and he also singled and scored in the 2nd inning.
 
Andrew Chronister (Shippensburg) had four hits in five at-bats and drove in two more runs the night after he provided the 9th inning heroics in a come-from-behind win in New Britain. Chronister now has 16 RBI on the season and has raised his average to .330.
 
Worcester also took advantage on the base paths, manufacturing runs in the early innings on a squeeze play by Matt Livingston (Siena) in the 3rd inning and a steal of home by Gavin Noriega (Marist) in the 4th. With runners on first and third and two outs, Jake Marquez (Maine) got caught in a run-down attempting to steal 2nd base. Noriega broke for home, sliding underneath the tag of Vermont catcher Gio Cueto for the Bravehearts’ run. The Bravehearts scored all three of their runs in the 4th inning with two outs. 
 
Vermont chipped away in the 6th inning and knocked Worcester starter Ben Smith (Worcester State University) out of the game. They scored four runs on two hits, two walks, two hit-batsmen and an error. Smith worked quickly all night, scattering four hits and walking only two batters during his five innings pitched.  
 
The Lake Monsters struck for three more runs in the 7th inning on a home run by pinch hitter Jimmy Evans (Tufts).
 
The loss drops Worcester to 20-30 on the season, and they close out the series in Vermont on Sunday at 5:00 PM.