Crowd of 3,208 (2nd largest of season) eat 8,200 hot dogs on 25-cent “Hot Dog Hysteria” night

BURLINGTON, VT — Vermont snapped a 2-2 tie with three runs on just one base hit in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Nashua Silver Knights 5-2 in Futures League action Tuesday night in front of 3,208 at historic Centennial Field.

Vermont took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first with a pair of unearned runs scoring on a two-out dropped fly ball. Tommy Martin had led off the first with a single, one of just two hits for the Lake Monsters over the first seven innings. 

Evan Maloney (Wake Forest) retired 15 of the first 17 batters he faced, allowing just a two-out single in third and two-out walk in fourth over five scoreless innings, before giving up two unearned runs on three hits in the sixth that tied the game

Vermont took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of eighth on back-to-back hit batters and back-to-back walks to lead off the inning, then added insurance runs on a Eric Becker (Virginia) RBI single and Jordan Kang (Harvard).

After allowing a leadoff single in the top of the eighth, Callen Fang (Harvard) struckout the next three Nashua batters to earn his second win of the season. Wyatt Cameron (Middlebury/Central Connecticut) one strikeout and one hit allowed in ninth for his league-leading seventh save.

Vermont (21-8), winners in 10 of its last 11 home games, will play their only game of the season at Westfield on Wednesday night before returning to Centennial to host New Britain Thursday and Friday.

MONSTER PERFORMANCES                                                                                   

  • Maloney 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO  
  • Coney 1-for-2, 2 BB
  • Tyler Favretto (Crowder) 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R

MONSTER HIGHLIGHTS

  • Vermont has won 5 of last 6, 11 last 14 and now 16-5 in month of July
  • Lake Monsters were outhit 7-3, but had combined 7 walks/hit batters (Nashua 1 walk)
  • Vermont opponents have allowed 53 unearned runs this year (Monster pitchers just 14)
  • Lake Monsters 21-1 when scoring 3+ runs, while 0-7 when 2 runs or less
  • The crowd of 3,208 was 2nd largest of season at Centennial and 3rd of  3,000+ (total of 33,907 for season, an average of 2,260 per opening)

Next Game: Wednesday at Westfield, 6:00pm
Next Home Game: Thursday vs. New Britain, 6:35pm