Rox fall to Bravehearts 3-0 to end distinguished 2015 season

The Brockton Rox had a terrific 2015 season, which they would have liked to last a little longer. Brockton lost 3-0 to the Worcester Bravehearts in round 1 of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League playoffs last night at Campanelli Stadium. The Rox may be eliminated from the 2015 postseason, but there’s much to feel optimistic about when it comes to this team.

Before the game, a pair of Rox were deservedly honored by the FCBL. Rox manager Jason Szafarski was named co-manager of the year and Rox pitcher Zach Kirby was named FCBL pitcher of the year.

Bravehearts starter Dylan Collett earned the victory, going 6.2 innings and giving up 0 runs with 2 strikeouts. Starter Zach Kirby went 4 innings giving up 2 runs (both earned) with 3 strikeouts to get his first and only loss of the season.

Alex Sanchez and Gavin Tristan the damage for the Bravehearts offense. Sanchez racked in 3 RBIs by making 2 ground ball outs and hitting into a fielder’s choice to score Tristan in the 3rd, 5th, and 9th innings.

The Rox threatened early in the bottom of the bottom of the 2nd inning, during which they could have taken the game’s first lead. JD Andreessen was on 3rd base with 2 outs. However, Kyle Carruthers flew out to the third baseman to end the threat.

Brockton had Kyle Carruthers on 2nd base in the 5th inning and JD Andreessen on 2nd base in the 7th inning, but was unable to take advantage. The Rox gave one final push in the 9th inning when they had runners on 1st and 2nd base with 0 outs. Unfortunately, JD Andreessen struck out, Billy Endris flew out to left field, and Kyle Carruthers flew out to the second baseman for the final out. Logan Fullmer was credited with the save.

Although the Rox were hoping to go farther, they have reason to hold their heads up with pride. They won a franchise record 34 games, tied with the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks for most in the FCBL. The players made a tremendous amount of improvement from last year, as shown by the 8 players the Rox sent to the 2015 All-Star Game in Lynn.

The season was a roller coaster of streaks, more good than bad. Brockton had 4 walk-off victories, 5 if one includes the walk-off victory for the East in the All-Star Game. The Rox were in 1st place in the East for much of the season and finished only .023 percentage points behind the Sharks for the best record in the FCBL.

Thank you to all the fans that came to Campanelli Stadium to support Brockton in a memorable 2015 season. The Brockton Rox have a very bright future ahead!

Rox vs Bravehearts round 1 FCBL playoffs preview

There is no chance of a rainout today as the Brockton Rox (34-20) get ready to face off against the defending FCBL champion Worcester Bravehearts (26-30) in round 1 of the 2015 FCBL playoffs at Campanelli Stadium. The Rox finished the regular season 2nd place in the East and the Bravehearts finished 2nd place in the West.

The Bravehearts won 5-1 the last time the 2 teams squared off on August 4th. Overall, the Rox went 2-2 against the Bravehearts this season. The Bravehearts went 8-2 in their last 10 games while the Rox went 5-5.

Zack Kirby (4-1) takes the hill for the Rox and Dyllan Collett (3-2) opposes him for the Bravehearts. Kirby was 3rd in the FCBL with a 1.70 ERA. Dyllan Collett was a step behind at 4th with a 1.87 ERA. Kirby is also tied for 4th in the FCBL with 51 strikeouts. Neither pitcher has pitched against the other team this season.

Bravehearts slugger Zach Tower was 2nd in the league with 13 home runs and came in 2nd at the Home run derby. Ian Strom had the 2nd highest batting average in the FCBL for the Bravehearts, hitting at .353 with 48 hits and 26 runs scored. Brockton’s Tommy Marcinzyk was 4th in the league with 35 RBI and also had 56 hits this season. The Bravehearts are managed by Justin Edwards, while Jason Svfarski leads the Rox as the manager.

The winner of this game moves on and the losing team is eliminated. Either team could come out on top, and the Rox have what it takes to get the win in front of their home crowd tonight at 7:05.

There’s nothing like playoff baseball

The playoffs provide the most exciting moments in sports, especially for baseball. No other game is as tense and nerve-wracking during the entire competition. Every pitch matters. Every base matters. Errors can kill you. Players make names for themselves and become legends. The contenders are separated from the pretenders.

Tomorrow, the Brockton Rox will take their first step on the road to becoming champions. The playoffs are what the Rox have been playing for all season. It’s win or go home and no other option. Every player to has to do whatever he can to help the team win.

As shown by recent World Series champions like the Giants and Red Sox, it takes great pitching and timely hitting in order to win. The Rox have to embody these attributes if they want to become 2015 Futures Collegiate Baseball League champions.

1st game of the playoffs rained out for the Rox, rescheduled for tomorrow

The first game of the 2015 Futures Collegiate Baseball League playoffs for the Brockton Rox has been rained out. The game will take place tomorrow instead.

It’s disappointing for the Rox to not be able to begin their playoff push today, but it’s better to make sure that the players are playing in safe conditions. Game 1 of the playoffs between the Brockton Rox and the Worcester Bravehearts will begin at 7:05 tomorrow night in Campanelli Stadium.

Brockton Rox 2015 Playoffs Schedule

To make sure that Rox fans know exactly when and where the Rox are playing, here is a schedule for the upcoming games.

If the Rox win tomorrow, they will play on Wednesday. If the Rox win on Wednesday, then the Rox are in the championship round.

The championship round is a 2 out of 3 game series. These games will be played Thursday, Friday, and potentially Saturday. If there’s a rainout on Thursday, then the championship round will be Friday, Saturday, and potentially Sunday.

If the Rox beat the Bravehearts tomorrow, it is currently unclear who they will play on Wednesday. It is also currently unclear whether the Rox will play at home or away on Wednesday as well as potentially the championship round. Tomorrow and Wednesday are single elimination games.

Make sure you know the schedule so that you can be ready for the 2015 Futures Collegiate Baseball League playoffs!

Marshall Gei smacks walk-off single as Rox triumph in regular season finale against the Dirt Dawgs 4-3

The Brockton Rox finished their season with a bang, defeating the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs 4-3 yesterday in 11 innings at Campanelli Stadium. The win catapulted the Rox into second place in the East and the number 3 seed for the playoffs.

Reliever Connor Russell earned the win for the Rox, going 1 inning and giving up 0 runs with 1 strikeout. Reliever Matthew Cronin picked up the loss, going 3.1 innings and giving up 1 earned run with 4 strikeouts.

The Rox struck first in the 2nd inning, scoring 3 runs. Marshall Gei smacked a double to score Billy Endris and Jesus Medina. Joe Drpich then hit a double to score Marshall Gei.

The Dirt Dawgs clawed their way back into the game, scoring 2 runs in the 4th and 1 run in the 7th on an RBI single by Jon Kirstoffersen. When the Rox failed to score in the 9th, the game proceeded to extra innings.

Brockton had a golden opportunity in the bottom of 10th to win the game with Kyle Carruthers on 3rd base and Nick Johnson on 1st base with 1 out. However, Bryce Parckard and Austin Filiere struck out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the 11th inning, Billy Endris was on second base with 1 out. Marshall Gei stepped to the plate and smacked a walk-off single to send the Rox running onto the field in celebration.

The Rox have had plenty of walk-off wins this season and it seemed only fitting to end the regular season with a walk-off. Hopefully this momentum can carry over into Brockton’s first game of the playoffs on Tuesday night in Campanelli Stadium when the Rox (34-22) face the Worcester Bravehearts (26-30) at 7:05 in a single-elimination game.

Rox go 1-1 over last 2 games and fall to 3rd place in the East

The Rox slid to 3rd place after going 1-1 the last 2 games. The Rox trail the North Shore Navigators by half a game and the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks by 1 game for first place in the East.

The Rox played the Sharks on Friday night at Campanelli Stadium and lost 4-3. Starter Ryan Callahan earned the win for the Sharks, going 7 innings and giving up 0 runs with 7 strikeouts. Starter Robbie Coursel got the loss for the Rox, going 4 innings and giving up 3 runs (0 earned) with 1 strikeout.

The game was 0-0 until the 4th inning when the Sharks took a 3-0 lead in an inning that the Rox made 3 errors. The Sharks then scored 1 run in the 5th, which would prove to be the winning run.

Rox manager Jason Szafarski was ejected in the bottom of the 5th after arguing a call made by base umpire Matt Hansel that a Rox base runner was out. This appeared to fire up the Rox as they scored 1 run in the 8th and two runs in the 9th. However, it was too little too late for the Rox as the Sharks finished them off.

Saturday night, the Rox pummeled the Seacoast Mavericks 9-2. Starter Andrew David was the winning pitcher, going 6 innings and giving up 2 runs (both earned) with 2 strikeouts. Reliever StigErick McElhinney got the loss, going 1 inning and giving up 5 runs (3 earned) with 5 strikeouts. Jonathan Salcedo smacked a home run in the 9th and had 2 RBI to help lead the Rox offense.

The Rox (33-22) welcome the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs (22-29) to Campanelli Stadium today at 4:05 and hope to get the best possible seed they can for the playoffs.

Rox beat Mavericks 8-4 to snap 3-game losing streak

In what felt like a must win game, the Brockton Rox beat the Seacoast Mavericks 8-4 to snap a 3 game losing streak. The Rox are 1 game behind the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks for 1st place in the East. The North Shore Navigators trail the Rox by half a game.

After starter Zach Kirby went 4 and 2/3 innings giving up 1 earned run with 7 strikeouts, reliever Conor Russell went 1.1 innings and gave up 0 runs to earn the win. Zachary Sloan got the loss, going 5 innings and giving up 7 runs (5 earned) with 3 strikeouts. Jesus Medina notched the save for the Rox in the 9th.

The Rox struck early and often, scoring 2 in the 1st, 2 in the 3rd, 1 in the 4th, 2 in the 5th, and 1 in the 7th. Tommy Marcinczyk led the pace for the Rox offense, going 4-5 with a double and racking up 2 RBI. Kyle Carruthers crushed a solo home run in the 7th inning for the Rox.

The Rox now have some momentum for tonight in what’s easily the biggest game of the season. The Rox (32-21) face the 1st place Sharks (32-19) at 7:05 in Campanelli Stadium. Tonight’s game will most likely determine whether the Rox or the Sharks come out on top of the East.

Brockton Rox visit East Bridgewater Public Library

With it being a home game tonight, a couple of Rox players took an hour out of their day to make it a special day for kids. Jesus Medina and Eric Handelman appeared at the East Bridgewater Public Library to read with kids. K-O tagged along to join in the fun.

The players signed autographs and posed for photos with young boys and girls who were eager to show off their reading abilities. K-O even got in on the action, taking over the librarian’s desk and sticking his long snout into some of the books.

The children were very excited to meet the towering players and talked enthusiastically about their experiences playing little league baseball. The visit was a great way to promote the importance of reading to children and also an opportunity for kids to be able to meet role models that they could aspire to be like in the Brockton Rox players.

Rox can’t hold onto late lead, lose to the Dirt Dawgs 7-5

The Brockton Rox lost to the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs 7-5 at Doyle Field last night. With the loss, the Rox are now 1 game back of the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks. The North Shore Navigators trail the Rox by half a game.

Reliever Joe Napolitano earned the win, going 2 innings and giving up 0 runs with 2 strikeouts. Reliever Blake Oyler got the loss, going 2.1 innings and giving up 3 runs (3 earned) with 2 strikeouts.

Justin Silvestro and Chris Chiaradio had home runs to lead the Dirt Dawgs’ offense. Grant Lamberton reached base 4 times and had 3 hits to energize the Rox lineup.

The Rox came back from a 4-1 deficit by scoring 3 runs in the 3rd inning and scored a run in the 7th to take a 5-4 lead. However, the Dirt Dawgs scored 3 runs in the 8th inning to take the lead for good.

The Rox (31-21) will try to snap their 3-game losing streak tonight when they face the Seacoast Mavericks (19-37) 7:05 at Campanelli Stadium.