NASHUA, NH — With the Lake Monsters trailing 1-0 after seven innings, Harrison Didawick and Brian Schuab opened the top of the eighth with back-to-back home runs to lead Vermont to a 3-1 Futures League victory over the Nashua Silver Knights Saturday night at Holman Stadium.
The Lake Monsters have now won seven of their last eight games to improve to a season-best 21 over .500 with a 33-12 record. It is the first time that Vermont has been 21 games over .500 since they finished 48-26 in its 1996 New York-Penn League Championship season.
Vermont were held to just three hits over the first seven innings, but Didawick (Virginia) smacked a 2-1 pitch the opposite way to leftfield for his second home run of the season. Schuab (Trinity) followed by also launching a 2-1 pitch to deep left for his second home run and a 2-1 Lake Monsters lead.
Lake Monsters added an insurance run in the ninth on an RBI single from Gio Cueto (Wake Forest), extending his hitting streak to 13 straight games. George Goldstein (Middlebury) closed out the contest with a scoreless bottom ninth for his 10th save of the year.
Monster Performances
Nick Berger 4 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO
Harrison Didawick 1-for-5, solo HR
Brian Schuab 1-for-4, solo HR
Monster Highlights
* Berger (Rollins) scattered 6 hits in 4 innings, stranding 2 Nashua runners each of first 3 innings and bases loaded in 4th (Nashua finished with 15 men left on base)
* Francis Ferguson (Eastern Nazarene), 1 run (bases loaded walk in 6th) on 3 hits with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts over 3 innings for win
* Tyler Favretto (Crowder) and Jordan Kelly (Princeton) both had 2 hits (Nashua outhit Vermont 10-7)
Beyond The Boxscore
* Lake Monsters now lead over 2nd-place New Britain (23-20) by 8 1/2 games and 5th-place Norwich (21-23) by 11 games (with top 4 team qualifying for playoffs, Vermont magic # to clinch playoff spot is 8)
* Vermont is now 63-18 (.778) in FCBL regular-season since July 1, 2021
* Lake Monsters 16-1 record when they hit a home run (6-0 when hitting 2+ HR)
Next Game: Sunday at Nashua, 3:00pm
Next Home Game: Thursday vs. Westfield, 6:35pm