BURLINGTON, VT — Casey Gouge tossed the first Vermont nine-inning complete-game shutout in almost 30 years and six players had multi hits, including 3 hits for Sam Cavossa, as the Lake Monsters opened their Futures League best-of-three semifinal series with an 8-0 victory over the New Britain Bees Sunday evening at historic Centennial Field.
Gouge scattered five hits with no walks and five strikeouts among his 96 total pitches (66 for strikes). He threw 12 pitches or few in each of the first eight frames before 18 pitches in the ninth with the only hitter reaching a three-ball count being the final batter of the game.
The left-hander out of Catawba, who allowed three earned runs over 11 innings in his three regular-season starts, is the first Vermont pitcher to toss a nine-inning complete-game since August 31, 2000 (Wes Chisnall) and the first with a nine-inning shutout since August 18, 1995 (Chris Weidert).
New Britain had a chance to take the lead in fourth on a two-out double followed by a single to left, but Sam Cavossa (Saint Michaels) gunned down the runner at the plate to end frame scoreless. The Lake Monsters offense, came alive in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back leadoff singles from Cavossa and Hunter Kingsbury (Bryant) before a two-out, two-run double from Tommy Popoff (Binghamton).
Vermont tripled the lead to 6-0 with four runs in the fourth on a Bryan Richman (Cal Poly Pomona) RBI triple, Cavossa RBI single and Leandro Guevara (AIC) two-run homer to left. Lake Monsters added single runs in the sixth with a Richman RBI single and eighth with a Kingsbury RBI single.
MONSTER PERFORMANCES
* Gouge 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO
* Cavossa 3-for-4, BB, R, RBI
* Popoff 2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
* Along with Cavossa 3 hits and Popoff 2 doubles, other 4 Lake Monsters with 2 hits were Richman, Kingsbury, Cooper Berry (Pomona Pitzer) and Nolan Colby (Fairfield)
* Guevara hit 1 home run (July 24th) in 131 at bats during regular-season before homer in 3rd playoff AB
* Vermont is now 5-0 in 1st game of best-of-3 semifinal series over last 5 years (4-0 at Centennial) and Lake Monsters now 9-4 in FCBL semifinal game
* Including regular-season, Vermont has won 11 of last 13 games at Centennial (25-11 overall)
* Norwich won 8-4 at Worcester in opener of their best-of-three semifinal (play at Norwich Monday)
Semifinal Game #2: Monday at New Britain, 6:35pm (WJOY 1230am)
Next Home Game: If lose Monday, Semifinal Game 3 on Tuesday at 6:35pmIf win Monday, Finals either Wednesday or Thursday (G1 vs. Norwich) or Friday (G2 vs. Worcester)