4-run 9th Leads Vermont to 7-3 win Friday
WORCESTER, MA — The Vermont Lake Monsters snapped a 3-3 tie with four runs in the top of the ninth inning to earn their third straight win to open the 2026 Futures League season with a 7-3 victory over the Worcester Bravehearts Friday night at Fitton Field.
Worcester took an early 3-0 lead with an RBI single in second and two-run double in third before the Lake Monsters tied the game with an RBI groundout in the fourth followed by run scoring wild pitch and bases loaded hit by pitch in the fifth.
After having a runner thrown out at plate on a single in the seventh and not scoring after loading the bases with no outs in the eighth, Vermont broke the game open in the ninth after opening the inning with a walk and bunt single.
Evan Dennis (Colby Sawyer/East Ryegate, VT) put the Lake Monsters in front with an RBI double to center followed later in the inning with back-to-back bases loaded RBI singles to right from Bryan Richman (Cal Poly Pomona) and Patrick Shrake (Colby).
MONSTER PERFORMANCES
* Dennis 2×4, BB, R, 2B, RBI
* Billy Tigar (Montclair State) 0x3, BB, R, 2 RBI
* Cole Perkin (Wesleyan) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
* Lake Monsters are 3-0 for the 2nd time (2024) in 6 FCBL seasons and 5th time in 32 seasons overall
* James Schaffer (Stony Brook) went 3-for-4 with a walk
* Richman and Shrake (1-2 in batting order) were combined 3-for-10 with walk, 2 runs and 2 RBI
* Starter Keeler Vogt (Colby) allowed 3 runs on 5 hits with awalk and 3 strikeouts over first 3 innings, followed by 6 relievers tossing one scoreless inning each.
* John MacDonald (Saint Michael’s) 1-2-3 bottom 6th with 2 flyouts and groundout in debut
* Cage Thompson (Franklin Pierce/St. Johnsbury) leadoff walk followed by flyout, strikeout and groundout bottom 7th in debut
UPCOMING
Next Game: Saturday vs. New Britain, 3:05pm
Promotion: 2026 Magnetic Schedule Giveaway
Broadcast: WYCI-TV, FCBLnetwork.com, WJOY 1230am