BURLINGTON, VT — Worcester scored all three of the Future League game’s runs in the top of the eighth inning as a pair of Bravehearts combined on a three-hit shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters Wednesday night at historic Centennial Field.
Game was scoreless into the eighth when Worcester used a couple of infield singles and Vermont errors to score the three runs (just on earned). With runners on second and third with one out, Tyler Bastunas gave the Bravehearts a 1-0 lead with an RBI single to left before Worcester added a pair of unearned runs on a two-out infield single/throwing error.
Worcester starter Max LeBlanc and reliever Tyler Nielsen both had two walks and seven strikeouts in the three-hit shutout. LeBlanc allowed a single in the second and double in fifth, while Nielsen an infield single in the eighth
Vermont starter Evan Maloney (Rhode Island) tossed six scoreless innings on two hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Callen Fang (Harvard), who had not allowed a run over 15 innings in his previous 12 appearances, was charged with three runs (one earned) on three hits in the eighth to take the loss.
The Lake Monsters have been held to just seven total hits in their last three games (two hits Saturday at Norwich and Tuesday at Nashua), giving Vermont (24-11) its first three-game losing streak of the season.
MONSTER PERFORMANCES
- Maloney 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO
- Thomas Santana 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO
MONSTER HIGHLIGHTS
- Santana, who stranded 2 inherited runners on base with a strikeout to end the 8th, allowed a leadoff triple in the 9th before 3 consecutive strikeouts to end inning
- Oliver Pudvar (CVU/Manhattan) had 2 strikeouts in a 1-2-3 7th inning for Vermont
- The 6 pitchers in game combined for 7 walks and 27 strikeouts (14 for Worcester pitchers, 13 for Vermont hurlers)
- 2nd shutout loss of season for Vermont, the also to Worcester 1-0 in 1st game of doubleheader at Centennial June 25th.
- The 3-game losing streak is the longest for the Lake Monsters since 3 straight losses July 4-7, 2022
- Vermont now 2 games behind Worcester (26-9) for 1st-place in the FCBL standings
Next Game: Thursday vs. Worcester, 6:35pm (First Responders Night)