Vermont Lake Monsters

Vermont Takes Game Two 9-6 Wednesday

Game 3 Tickets available at https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2new/BuyNew.asp?EventID=360286

GAME 2 BOXSCORE

WORCESTER, MA  — Thomas Moss picked the right time to connect for his first home run of the summer as he snapped a 6-6 tie in the top of the ninth inning with a one-out, two-run homer to left center to lead Vermont to a 9-6 victory over the Worcester Bravehearts Wednesday night at Fitton Field and force a third-and-deciding game in the Future League semifinal series. 

Worcester led 5-2 after three innings before Vermont scored two runs in both the fourth and seventh innings to take a 6-5 advantage. After the Bravehearts tied the game in the bottom of the eighth and had runners on second and third with no outs, Brandon Rovinelli (Columbia) worked out of the jam with a groundout to third, lineout to right and groundout to short to keep the game tied. 

After a Danny O’Brien (Montclair State) one-out walk in the ninth, Moss (Trinity TX) fouled off a pair of 0-2 pitches before drilling a 2-2 pitch from Worcester reliever Lane LeClair 380-feet for his first home run in his 145th plate appearance for the Lake Monsters. It was also the first earned runs allowed all season by LeClair (had given up just three unearned runs over 24 ⅓ innings)

Vermont added another run in the inning on a walk, hit batter and pair of wild pitches. Rovinelli walked the leadoff batter in the bottom of the ninth and reliever Brady Lane (Brandeis) came on to walk the next batter. After a strikeout and another walk to load the bases, Talen Rosbourgh hit a soft line drive that was caught by Lane, who then doubled off pinch runner Jack Murray at first base to end the game. 

Lake Monster starter Chase Burrows (Babson) was charged with five runs over the first two-plus innings, leaving the game after allowing a single, a walk and an RBI single. Reliever Issac Jensen (Endicott) came on to get out of further damage with a fielder choice and double play before tossing four more scoreless innings, finishing with just one hit and one walk allowed along with seven strikeouts.

Moss had given Vermont a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single and Brenden Walsh (Endicott) scored on an error in the second inning after a leadoff double. A Tyler Wiltsey (Rutgers) sacrifice fly and Jake Lopez (Indianapolis) RBI single cut the deficit to 5-4 in the fourth. Wiltsey led off the seventh with a single and later scored on a one-out RBI single by O’Brien, who advanced to third on a Brad Johnston (Swartamore) two-out single and scored when the game got past the leftfielder for an error. 

The winner of Thursday’s deciding third game will face New Britain in the best-of-three Championship series after the Bees defeated the Norwich Sea Unicorns in the deciding third game of their series on Wednesday. 

MONSTER STARS
* Jensen 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO
* Moss 2-for-4, BB, R, HR, 3 RBI
* O’Brien 2-for-4, BB, 2 R, RBI

MONSTER HIGHLIGHTS
* Each of the first 5 batters in Vermont lineup had 2 hits, including Bryan Richman (Cal Poly Pomona), Wiltsey and Lopez
* Every Lake Monsters starter, except Lopez, scored at least 1 run (O’Brien 2 runs)
* Vermont has lost in Game 3 of semifinals last 2 years after advancing to semifinals first 3 seasons
* Game 3 Tickets on sale at https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2new/BuyNew.asp?EventID=360286 

UPCOMING 
Game 3:  Thursday vs. Worcester, 6:35pm at Centennial Field
Broadcast: WYCI (TV),  FCBLnetwork.com (streaming), WJOY 1230am (radio)