PITTSFIELD, MA — Antonio Perrotta went 4-for-5, Kyle McCausland had a homer and four RBI, while Francis Ferguson tossed five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts as the Vermont Lake Monsters built a 9-0 lead before holding on for a 9-5 Futures League viictory over the Pittsfield Suns Wednesday night at Wahconah Park
Vermont built 3-0 lead with single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings, including a McCausland (Middlebury) one-out solo homer on an 0-2 pitch in the fifth. The home run was the first of the season for McCausland and fifth overall for the Lake Monsters.
Ferguson (Eastern Nazarene) meanwhile was tossing five scoreless innings, allowing four hits with no walks and nine strikeouts. His second strikeout in the first inning was his 100th career strikeout over 94 innings in his three seasons with Vermont.
Vermont’s first six batters in the top of the sixth inning reached base safely and later scored to give the Lake Monsters a 9-0 advantage. An error and a pair of walks loaded the bases before a McCausland (Middlebury) two-run single, Perrotta (Virginia) RBI single and Logan Keller (Navy) two-run single.
The Suns scored five times off the Lake Monsters bullpen in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Oliver Pudvar (CVU/Manhattan) retired four of the final five batters of the game, first three by strikeout, to clinch the win for Vermont (17-7).
MONSTER PERFORMANCES
- Perrotta 4-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI (5-game hit streak going 9-for-17)
- McCausland 2-for-5, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI
- Ferguson 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO
MONSTER HIGHLIGHTS
- Vermont has won 7 of last 9 (both losses coming Tuesday after 6-game win streak)
- Lake Monsters now lead Future League standings by 2 games over Worcester
- With 8 walks and 7 strikeouts by Vermont batters, 10th time this season Lake Monster hitters have more walks than strikeouts in a game (138 walks, 145 strikeouts overall)
- Perrotta 2nd Lake Monster with 4-hit game this season (Tyler Favretto 6/10), while he has reached base by hit or walk in 19 of 20 games
- Thomas Santana (Columbia) struckout the side in bottom of 7th inning
Next Game: Thursday at Nashua, 6:00pm
Next Home Game: Friday vs. Pittsfield, 6:35pm