The wins continue to pile up for the Gloucester baseball squad, and two-way standout Nico Alves seems to be at the forefront of that success nearly every time out.
In the Fishermen’s gutsy, 11-inning, 4-3 win over Beverly last Monday, Alves struck out eight batters and allowed just four hits and two earned runs in five strong innings as the starter. Two days later in a 7-0 rout of Swampscott, he went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a home run, a double and two RBI.
Peabody was next on deck and Alves returned to the mound to toss an absolute gem, allowing just one hit and striking out eight more in a complete game effort. He faced the minimum number of batters in that one while contributing with a big time triple at the dish.
Alves continued his stellar stretch in Gloucester’s most recent victory — a 10-0 drubbing of Haverhill in five innings on Tuesday — mashing his third home run of the season with a three-run blast in the second inning. He also drew a walk and scored a run in the convincing triumph.
“Nico is very deserving of this weekly honor as he carried us through what was easily our most difficult week thus far,” said Gloucester manager Rory Gentile, his team still perfect at 8-0. “Getting two starts in one week against NEC teams while consistently crushing the ball is a week anyone would love to have.”
For the season, Alves is now hitting .524 (11 hits) with an on base percentage of .655, an OPS of 1.893 and a slugging percentage of 1.238, all of which lead his team. He also paces the Fishermen in home runs (3), RBI (11) and walks (6).
“It’s been great to see him come into his own at the plate, especially with a new element (power) to his game,” added Gentile.
On the mound, Alves has gone 3-0 across 20 1/3 innings in four starts, striking out 31 and holding a stingy ERA of 1.721.
Gloucester is right back at it on Wednesday when it travels to Winthrop for a 1:30 p.m. first pitch.
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.