Lake Monsters Win Season Opener 6-3 Wednesday
NASHUA, NH — The Vermont Lake Monsters used a four-run top of the fifth inning to win its fourth straight Futures League season opener with a 6-3 victory over the Nashua Silver Nights Wednesday afternoon at Holman Stadium.
Vermont trailed 2-0 before tying the game in the fifth on an Elias Huber (Arizona Western) RBI single and Billy Tigar (Montclair State) RBI groundout. Bennett Hewett (Clark) followed with a two-run triple to rightcenter for a 4-2 lead.
Bryan Richman (Cal Poly Pomona) and Hewett added RBI singles in the eighth and ninth innings respectively. Richman, who hit .316 and finished fifth in the FCBL with 56 last season for the Lake Monsters, went 3-for-5 with a run and RBI in the 2026 opener.
Shamus Kelly (Wesleyan) allowed one unearned run on three hits over the first three innings, while Hinesburg’s Jack Richburg (Springfield/CVU) one unearned run on one hit in the fourth inning to earn win. Marcus Tarfano (St. Joseph’s CT) one walk and two strikeouts over final 1 1/3 innings for save.Â
MONSTER PERFORMANCES
* Richman 3×5, r, 2B, RBI
* Hewett 2×5, 3B, 3 RBI
* Elias Huber 2×5, R, RBI
BEYOND THE BOXSCOREÂ
* Vermont is now 4-2 in FCBL season openers (4th straight win) and 13-19 in season openers all-time
* East Cornith’s Cage Thompson (Franklin Pierce/St. Johnsbury) faced three batters in fifth inning
* Chase Burrows (Babson) tossed 2 scoreless innings and Brett Gable (Harvard) one scoreless frame
* Along with Richman’s three hits, 5 other Lake Monsters finished with 2 hits in Vermont 15-hit attack
* Jack Fitzgerald (Montevello) 2-for-4 with a double, while Huber, Tigar and Danny O’Brien (Montclair State) each with two hits
* The 15 hits are the most-ever by a Lake Monsters team in a season opener
* Nashua finished game 0-for-17 with runners in scoring position (Vermont 5-for-17 w/RISP)
UPCOMING
Next Game: Thursday at Worcester, 10:30am (FCBLnetwork.com)
Next Home Game: Saturday vs. New Britain, 3:05pm (home opener)