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Baseball: Leominster's Peter Bovenzi happy to be back with Worcester Bravehearts

Shaun Suhoski, Correspondent

WORCESTER — Peter Bovenzi is excited about his second stint on the mound with the Worcester Bravehearts as he continues his dream of someday playing in the big leagues.

But the 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander also realizes that the road to the pros requires a mix of hard work — and good fortune.

“Everyone’s dream is to play professional baseball,” said the 22-year-old Leominster native before Saturday night’s Futures Collegiate Baseball League game against the North Shore Navigators at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field. “It’s tough to do. I can only keep working towards it, keep my head down and focus on baseball."

Bovenzi re-signed with the Bravehearts last week, and has appeared in one game, yielding an earned run in 1.1 innings with four strikeouts.

In 2016, during his first stint with the Bravehearts, he went 2-0 with six saves and a 3.17 ERA. He also appeared in the FCBL All-Star Game here, where he whiffed three in an inning of work, a moment he fondly recalls.

“Pitching in the All-Star game with thousands of fans and my family present was great,” Bovenzi said, crediting his mother, Leslie, and father, Peter E., for encouraging a reluctant youngster to take up America’s pastime.

“My mom suggested (baseball) and I played with both of my sisters growing up," said Bovenzi, a Bancroft School grad who spent a postgraduate year at Worcester Academy before heading to the NCAA Division 1 University of Richmond. "My dad used to coach me. I really didn’t want to play but he kept me in it and I grew to love it. He’s been great and still plays catch with me now and then.”

He still counts a walk-off homer in Leominster Babe Ruth as a standout memory of his youth baseball days, “back when (he) was a hitter” while emulating former Red Sox All-Star Nomar Garciaparra.

Bovenzi also learned at a young age how to fight through pain and adversity, as injuries forced him to cut short or miss baseball seasons at Bancroft and Worcester Academy. He recalled an incident at Bancroft where he was struck in the face by a line drive while throwing batting practice. The ball shattered his jaw, forcing it to be wired shut and relegated Bovenzi to a six-week liquid diet.

“It was tough,” he said, adding that the event didn’t really affect him on the mound until that first come-backer middle made him say, "wow."

Bovenzi returns to the Bravehearts following a successful junior season at Richmond. He made eight appearances, compiling a 2.61 ERA in 10.1 innings for the Spiders.

While majoring in sociology with a minor concentration in history, Bovenzi said he still hopes to get noticed by a pro scout and continue his baseball career.

“(Bravehearts director of baseball operations Kevin) Hartigan is a good resource,” noted Bovenzi of the former coach and 18-year MLB scout. “There’s a lot of networking and guys just try to get noticed.

“(Worcester) has a great atmosphere and they treat us professionally.”

Bravehearts manager J.P. Pyne said Bovenzi will fill a variety of roles out of the bullpen for his squad.

“He’s a great kid and had a good year for us two years ago,” Pyne said. “He’s developed a lot since he’s been here and he wants a big finish at Richmond.”

The Bravehearts entered Saturday's game in the midst of a six-game winning streak that has propelled them to second place in FCBL standings. As a result, Bovenzi may soon find himself in pressure situations.

“He’s got a good fastball, slider and his out pitch is a splitter which is rare in this league," Pyne said. "With the rules in this league we need a lot of guys at the back-end of the game. We’re happy to add him to our roster.”

It’s a role that Bovenzi seems to relish.

“I’m big on the fastball and my fork-ball can catch some guys off-guard,” he said, adding that his desire is to be a back-end closer. “I try to have a calm presence on the mound and don’t really feel the pressure.”

Bravehearts fall to Navigators

Edward Haus, Mack Cheli, Jack Gonzalez, Paul Gosso and Joseph Pesce all had two hits, but visiting North Shore scored four times in the sixth and five times in the seventh to take a 14-7 win at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field.

Worcester returns to action at 7 p.m. Monday when the Bravehearts travel to Martha's Vineyard to take on the Sharks.

—Contact Shaun Suhoski at sports@telegram.com.