NEW BRITAIN, C.T. -- The Bees came into tonight’s matchup with Worcester after being swept in a doubleheader last night against Brockton, but bounced back in a major way.  New Britain won 6-1 and starting pitcher Brendan Kirck (Springfield College) had his best outing of the season throwing six scoreless innings while also not giving up a hit through the first five and two-thirds of an inning.

The Bees literally wasted no time getting on the board in the bottom of the first inning when lead off hitter, Kyle Brennan (Endicott College), hit a solo home run, his second of the season, to give the Bees an early 1-0 lead over Worcester.  Moving to the bottom of the third inning, the Bees added another run when Griffin Arnone (Elon University) smacked a triple just out of the reach of Worcester center fielder, Trevor Johnson (Dartmouth College), to score Danniel Rivera (Southern New Hampshire) all the way from first base.

The Bravehearts were without a hit up until the sixth inning with two outs when Ben Rice connected with a ball to get a single and snap the no-hit bid for Bees pitcher Brendan Kirck.  Aside from a couple other hits for Worcester, they really had a quiet day at the plate with New Britain continuing to add onto their lead in the bottom of the seventh inning.  With bases loaded, Noah Martinez (Central CT State University) hit a ground rule double into the Bravehearts bullpen that allowed two runs to come in and score.  Martinez came up to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning and had a similar result hitting a single to right field and driving home two more runs to give the Bees a 6-0 lead.  Trevor Johnson was able to score one run for the Bravehearts in the top of the ninth inning, but that was all as the Bees defeated the top team in the Futures League. 

Brendan Kirck made his third start of the season and pitched six innings while giving up just one hit while also striking out three batters.  Yanni Orfanidis (St. Thomas Aquinas) and Ben Talbot (Holy Cross) also saw action on the mound pitching the last three innings and giving up one run on two hits.

The Bravehearts started Christopher Mott (NYIT) who pitched three innings giving up two runs on four hits, while also walking three and striking out five batters.  Mott also received the loss tonight, and four other players pitched for Worcester tonight.

The Bees improve to 7-15 on the season, while the Bravehearts drop to 13-6.  New Britain travels to Worcester tomorrow to try and sweep the two game series against the Bravehearts.  First pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m. from Doyle Field.

About the New Britain Bees

The New Britain Bees are members of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League and play their home games at New Britain Stadium. For information on tickets packages, group outings and sponsorships call 860-826-BEES (2337) or visit NBBees.com.

About the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL)

The FCBL is made up of seven teams from various parts of New England, each of which plays 28 home games and 28 away games. Each franchise is made up of elite collegiate athletes competing in a minor league style format.  Each franchise provides high quality, affordable entertainment, in a casual, family-friendly atmosphere. At least 50% of the players on each team must be from New England or attend college in New England. For further information, visit www.thefuturesleague.com.