A pair of Worcester Bravehearts shined at the plate as Kaleb Woodward and Will Kraemer led Team Hearts to a 14-2 win at the Futures League All-Star Game at Polar Park.
WORCESTER — It was a punishing 1-3 punch.
With the Worcester Bravehearts’ tandem of lefty Kaleb Woodward batting leadoff and righty Will Kraemer hitting third, Team Hearts rolled to a 14-2 victory over Team Smiles on July 22 in the Futures League All-Star Game at Polar Park.
“This is great,” Woodward said the gem of a diamond that is the home of the Worcester Red Sox. “I’ve never been out here. I saw some photos of minor league games and it looked really cool.
“The fans, especially going up to the plate, you hear them cheer you on ‒ especially because we’re in Worcester. It was a great atmosphere.”
Kraemer seconded the emotion.
“It was awesome,” he said. “The field is incredible; probably the best I’ve ever played on. Sharing the field with a lot of great players in this league is very cool.
“Picking their brains throughout the day, at the workout earlier in the day at Holy Cross and then here, it was an unbelievable experience.
Team Hearts set All-Star Game team records with 19 hits and 14 runs.
Kraemer, who hails from New Hope, Pennsylvania, and is an incoming freshman at Pepperdine University, went 3 for 4 with two doubles. He tied the All-Star Game record for hits and drove in an All-Star Game record five runs while scoring twice through four innings.
He also made a terrific defensive play at third base in the bottom of the second, snatching up a low liner and making a long throw across the diamond.
“I was seeing the ball well,” Kraemer said. “The last couple of days I’ve been sick ‒ I lost 12 pounds due to a stomach bug ‒ so I haven’t even been swinging a baseball bat. But I usually play better when I’m not feeling the best.
“I felt confident at the plate. I kind of knew guys were going to attack me. So, see my pitch early and not be afraid to go out and get it.”
Woodward was the catalyst, reaching base in his first five trips to the plate and was robbed of a hit with a web gem in his final at-bat.
The Trinity (Texas) junior-to-be from San Pedro, California ‒ which is an hour’s drive south of Pepperdine ‒ had three hits, including a double, drew a walk, and was hit by a pitch. He had an RBI, scored three runs and stole a base.
“I wanted to come out swinging” said Woodward, who played all nine innings in center field and recorded three putouts. “I had a great opportunity out here in front of a lot of people, a lot of Worcester fans, to put on a show.
“So I just went out and tried to be aggressive, which I’ve been doing all year, and it’s been working out.”
Bravehearts righty Jason Potvin pitched a 1-2-3 fourth with a strikeout for Team Hearts.
The three-day All-Star break concludes July 23 and the league-leading Bravehearts will then open a four-game homestand at 10:30 a.m. on July 24 against New Britain at Fitton Field.
That’s followed by a weekend showdown series versus second-place Vermont that gets underway at 6:30 p.m. on July 25. The Bravehearts entered the break 34-12 and with a four-game lead on the Lake Monsters, who have won six straight.
The four-time Futures League champion Bravehearts are well positioned to advance to postseason play after missing out last summer, but aren’t looking beyond the here and now with 2-½ weeks remaining in the regular season.
“I think the biggest thing is that we’re just focused on today,” first-year manager Luke Beckstein said. “We do have a bunch of games left, but I think a lot of our mentality has been focused on the game we’re playing that night.
“Taking care of business today and not worrying about what’s to come in the future. I’m happy with the way the guys have been playing and showing up and I hope they continue to do that down this final stretch, as well.”
—Contact Rich Garven at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @RichGarven.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Team Smiles cruises in Futures League All-Star Game
Category: General Sports
