Courtesy Vermont Lake Monsters

BURLINGTON — The Staten Island Yankees rallied from a three-run deficit with three runs in both the fifth and sixth innings in a 7-5 New York-Penn League victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters Tuesday night at historic Centennial Field.

After Ezequiel Duran led off the game with his league-leading ninth home run, Jordan Diaz connected on an opposite-field two-run homer (his eighth) to right in the bottom of the first to give Vermont a 2-1 lead. Diaz then made it 4-1 in the third with a two-run single to right and increased his league-leading RBI total to 37.

Staten Island tied the game in the fifth on a three-run homer from Josh Smith, the Yankees 2019 second-round pick out of LSU, before taking a 7-4 lead with three runs in the sixth on a run-scoring wild pitch and Matt Pita two-run single.

Vermont got a run back in the seventh on a two-out RBI single from Logan Davidson, who went 3-for-4 with a walk and run scored. It was the first professional three-hit game for the first-round pick out of Clemson, who has hit safely in 15 of his last 19 games (21-for-72, .292).

Lake Monsters starter Yorlenis Noa finished with three hits allowed, including the leadoff homer, with one walk and seven strikeouts over first 3 2/3 innings, while Austin Briggs gave up the three-run homer and Vince Coletti (1-1) the three runs in the sixth to take the loss.

Alex Mejias tossed a scoreless fifth and sixth innings to earn the victory for Staten Island (27-23), while Aaron McGarity worked out of two on, one-out jam in ninth to pick up his second save. Vermont reached double figures in hits for just the second time at Centennial this season (other was June 18th in third game of season at home)

Vermont (22-29) had a season best four-game winning streak snapped with the loss. The Lake Monsters and Yankees will wrap up the three-game homestand 7:05pm Wednesday at Centennial.