The Blues earned a big win on the road Thursday night, beating the Valley Blue Sox 6-2 at Mackenzie Stadium. 

Vincent Spizzoucco (Portal) made his first start of the season, going five innings with only one run allowed. Most of Spizzoucco's work has been out of the bullpen this season, as he lowered his earned run average to 2.4 for the summer. Robert Synodi (New Haven), Will Burns (Harvard), and Carson Renner (Penn State) combined to pitch four shutout innings out of the bullpen. Renner recorded the final out of the game to earn his fifth save of the season. 

All six of Bristol's runs came in the second inning, knocking Valley starter Christopher Batuyios out of the game after only recording five outs. With the bases loaded, Alex Irizarry (Quinnipiac) was hit by a pitch to bring home the game's first run. The next two batters, Nate Lincoln (Marist) and Luke Nomura (Fairfield), issued walks to give Bristol a 3-0 lead. 

Jack Hopko (Rhode Island) would break the game wide open, serving a three-run double to the outfield. Hopko's clutch hit put the Blues up by six going to the bottom half of the inning. 

Bristol remains red hot, winning their third straight game with eight wins in their last ten matchups. They are now tied with the Newport Gulls (19-10) for first place in the South Division. The Blues will travel to Newport on Friday night for a big in-division matchup, looking to claim sole possession of the top spot. Game time is set for 6:35 at Cardines Field. 

Written by Gavin Murray

Photo by Holly Gustavsen