NORWICH, CT — Jimmy Evans took over the Futures League lead in RBI after collecting four runs batted in on Tuesday night, including a three-run double to cap off a seven-run second inning, as the Vermont Lake Monsters picked up their 41st win of the season with an 11-8 victory over the Norwich Sea Unicorns at Dodd Stadium.

Vermont sent 11 batters to the plate in the second inning with the first seven reaching base safely. After two singles and a walk, Charles Crawford (Brown) laced a two-run single to center for a 2-0 lead. After a pair of walks forced home a run, Kyle Hoog (Northeastern) made it 4-0 with an RBI single in his Lake Monsters debut this season.

After a strikeout, Evans (Tufts) lined a double down the right-field line to clear the bases and move into first in the FCBL with 43 RBI (added an RBI groundout in ninth inning). Vermont added three runs in the fourth on a Cam Conley (Pepperdine) sacrifice fly and Andrew Kanellis (Vassar) two-run homer to left for a 10-2 lead.

Vermont led 11-5 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when the Sea Unicorns got a single, walk and three-run homer to cut the deficit to three, but the Lake Monsters held on for their second straight win and 6-0 vs. Norwich this season heading into final meeting between the two teams Wednesday 11am.

Monster Performances
Jimmy Evans 1-for-4, 2 BB, 1 2B, 4 RBI
Tommy Martin 3-for-4, 2 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI
Andrew Kanellis 1-for-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Monster Highlights
* Starter Max Moore (Mount St. Mary’s) allowed 3 runs on 7 hits with a walk and 3 strikeouts over 4 innings in his Lake Monsters debut.
* Liam Reiner (CVU/St. Lawrence) 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts in 2 scoreless innings of relief, while Chase Carey (Colchester/UMass-Dartmouth) and Evan Clark (USC) each allowed 1 run in 1 inning.
* Will Gumbrell (Burlington) 1-for-3 with 2 walks and 2 runs as Vermont starting catcher in 1st Lake Monsters game
* Kanellis home run was his 3rd of the season and 2nd in his last 7 games (league-leading 31st Vermont homer overall)
* Hoog, who went 9-for-24 in 6 games for Vermont last season, was 2-for-6 with 1 run and 1 RBI in season debut

Beyond The Boxscore
* Vermont (41-17) is franchise record 24 games over .500 for 2nd time this season (39-15 on July 28th)
* Lake Monsters 41 wins are 1 fewer than Vermont’s 42 wins last season (83-41 FCBL regular-season record)
* Vermont batters 13 walks and 14 strikeouts in 50 plate appearances (Lake Monster pitchers 6 walks, 8 strikeouts)
* 13th time this season that Vermont has scored 10+ runs in a game and now 20-3 when they hit a home run

Next Game: Wednesday at Norwich, 11:00am
Next Home Game: Thursday vs. Worcester, 6:35pm