Baseball: Monsters Shutout For 12th Time, Fall at Brooklyn 2-0

Posted on , updated on by George Commo

Courtesy Vermont Lake Monsters

BROOKLYN, NY — The Vermont Lake Monsters were held to five hits with 14 strikeouts suffered its 12th shutout loss of the season with a 2-0 loss to Brooklyn in New York-Penn League action Monday night at MCU Park.

Vermont starter Michael Murray retired 14 of 16 batters faced over the first five innings, allowing just a leadoff hit batter in second and one-out bunt single in fourth (erased on a caught stealing). Murray wrapped up the start by striking out the side in the fifth (five strikeouts total) and has now allowed just one run over last 19 innings pitched.

Reliever Jack Cushing (2-5) took over in the sixth and the first four Cyclones reached base safely on a single, walk, single and bases loaded Antoine Duplantis RBI infield single for a 1-0 Brooklyn lead. Wilmer Reyes followed with a sacrifice fly before Cushing escaped further damage with a lineout and strikeout to keep Vermont deficit at 2-0 through six.

Brooklyn starter Garrison Bryant (5-1) retired 18 of 21 Lake Monsters faced over 6 1/3 scoreless innings with no walks, one hit batter and nine strikeouts. He allowed just two hits, a one-out Jose Rivas single in the second and Yerdel Vargas leadoff single in sixth (erased on double play).

Lawrence Butler laced a two-out triple in the top of the eighth, but Jared Biddy struckout Vargas to end the inning. Logan Davidson and Marty Bechina opened the ninth with back-to-back singles, but reliever Josh Hejka struckout Jordan Diaz and Kevin Richards before a Rivas popout to end the game sealing Brooklyn’s seventh shutout win.

Reyes, Jose Mena and Yoel Romero each had two of the seven hits in the game for Brooklyn (39-29), which remains in a first-place tie in the McNamara Division with Aberdeen and Hudson Valley with seven game remaining in the season.

Vermont (30-39) extended its team-record to 12 shutout losses, while the Lake Monsters have now lost four straight overall and each of their last five games (and 10 of last 11) played at MCU Park. They will look to get back in the win column with the series finale at Brooklyn 7:00pm Tuesday before returning home for final three home games starting Wednesday.