Big Inning Leads Norwich Past Vermont 7-3 Monday
NORWICH, CT — Norwich scored five runs on five hits, including a pair of RBI triples, in the bottom of the fourth inning to help lead the Sea Unicorns to a 7-3 Futures League victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters Monday night at Dodd Stadium.
Vermont had taken a 2-0 lead in the third with the help of four straight two-out base hits, including RBI singles from Jack Fitzgerald (Montevallo) and Jake Lopez (Seton Hall). The Lake Monsters run snapped a 16-inning scoreless streak for Norwich starter Matt Tabet, who allowed seven hits over the first four innings after just three hits in first three starts combined.
The Sea Unicorns took a 5-2 lead with the five-run fourth, which included an RBI double to go along with an RBI triple and two-run triple. Norwich added two more runs on four hits in the sixth, including an RBI double, as nine of the Sea Unicorns 10 hits came in fourth and sixth innings.
Vermont got a run back in the seventh on a Hunter Strohm (Missisippi State) line drive RBI single to rightfield, but Norwich relievers would retire seven of the last eight Lake Monster batters including five strikeouts.
MONSTER PERFORMANCES
* Fitzgerald 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI
* Elias Huber (Arizona Western) 2-for-5, R, 2B
* Ethan Freed (Quinnipiac) 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
* With Freed’s 3 scoreless innings, Vermont starting pitchers have allowed just 1 run on 10 hits over last 16 innings with 5 walks and 13 strikeouts
* Fitzgerald has hit in 7 straight games (11×29, .379) and in 11 of 15 starts (8 multi-hit games)
* Fitzgerald’s RBI single increased his league-lead to 21 RBI for season
* Just 4th time in 17 games that Lake Monsters held to less than 5 runs in game
* 1st Vermont game this season that neither team committed an error, while Lake Monsters defense has not made an error in 4 of last 5 games
UPCOMING
Next Game: Tuesday at Norwich, 6:30pm ( FCBLnetwork.com)
Next Home Game: Friday vs. Nashua, 6:35pm