Hudson native fires complete-game shutout, allows lone hit with 2 outs in 9th inning
Hudson’s Brady Stuart (Endicott) came within an out of throwing a no-hitter, but settled instead for a complete-game one-hitter as the Worcester Bravehearts topped the Futures League Road Warriors 4-0 at Fitton Field Friday. ’Hearts catcher Dylan LaPointe backed Stuart with a pair of two-run home runs, his second and third long balls of the season.
After Stuart walked a batter with one out in the 1st inning, the righty set down 19 consecutive hitters. Worcester jumped ahead when LaPointe, who knocked three hits Thursday night against Norwich, rocketed a line-drive home run over the centerfield fence. The two-run shot marked Worcester’s first hit of the night.
Stuart continued mowing down the Road Warriors, picking up his eighth, ninth, and tenth strikeouts across the 5th and 6th innings. When LaPointe stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 6th, he launched a second two-run homer to left-center, giving Worcester a 4-0 advantage.
Back on the mound after 72 pitches, Stuart started the 8th inning by walking catcher Jake Fitzgibbons, marking the first Road Warriors baserunner since the 1st inning. On the next pitch, the righty induced a double play on a ground ball second, then struck out his 11th hitter to end the 8th.
In the 9th, Stuart put out Owen McHugh on a ground ball to the mound, then struck out pinch-hitter Tommy Goonan. With the Endicott right-hander one out away from 10th no-hitter in Futures Collegiate Baseball League history, Road Warriors outfielder Nick Pappas grounded a first-pitch single to end the bid.
Stuart got the next batter to fly out, sealing a complete-game, nine-inning shutout, the first in Bravehearts history. The right-hander finished the game having allowed a single hit and two walks, striking out 12 across nine innings.
Worcester hits the road Saturday for a matchup with the first-place Westfield Starfires. First pitch at Bullens Filed is set for 6:30 p.m.
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