Baseball: Monsters Make It Two Straight in PA, Topping Spikes 7-2

Posted on , updated on by George Commo

Courtesy Vermont Lake Monsters

STATE COLLEGE, PA — The Lake Monsters used four straight two-out hits to score four times in the top of the third, while Jorge Martinez and Jeferson Mejia combined for 4 2/3 hitless innings of relief to lead Vermont to a 7-2 victory over the State College Spikes in New York-Penn League action Wednesday night at Medlar Field.

After State College’s Martin Figueroa two-run single in the bottom of the first inning, the Lake Monsters used the four straight two-out hits in the third for a 4-2 advantage. After a Jordan Diaz infield single, Kyle McCann tied the game with a two-run triple to centerfield followed by RBI singles from Marty Bechina and Lawrence Butler.

Logan Davidson made it 5-2 with a solo homer to right in the fourth inning. It was his second homer in last four contests, while the first-round pick out of Clemson has now recorded a hit in 11 of last 14 games (13-for-53, .245).

Vermont starter Richard Morban allowed two runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings. He left with two runners on and one out in the fifth, then Martinez hit the first batter he faced to load the bases before getting out of the jam with a strikeout and groundout to keep Lake Monsters lead at 5-2.

Davidson, who finished 2-for-3 with two walks, scored his third run of the night in the ninth on a Jorge Gordon bases loaded sacrifice fly. Bechina followed with another sacrifice fly to give Vermont a 7-2 lead.

Martinez (3-1) finished with one walk and five strikeouts over three hitless innings to earn the win, while Mejia three strikeouts in 1 1/3 hitless innings for his fourth save as the three Lake Monster pitchers held the league’s leading team in average, runs and hits to just two runs on five hits.

Bechina was 2-for-4, including singles in his first two at bats after going 4-for-5 on Tuesday. Butler and McCann both had two hits as the Lake Monsters finished with 12 hits for second straight night, marking just second time this season Vermont double-figure hits in consecutive games.

Vermont (18-27), which has won two straight games for the first time since July 9-10 and just fourth winning streak of season (won three straight June 14-16 and June 26-28), will look to complete its first three-game sweep of the season at State College 12:05 pm on Thursday.