Baseball: Three Run 7th Lifts Monsters Past Hudson Valley

Posted on , updated on by George Commo

Courtesy Vermont Lake Monsters

BURLINGTON — The Vermont Lake Monsters scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to erase a one-run deficit and held on for a 4-2 New York-Penn League victory over the Hudson Valley Renegades Tuesday afternoon at historic Centennial Field.

Trailing 2-1 with two outs and no one on in the bottom of the seventh, a throwing error and walk put runners on first-and-second for the Lake Monsters. Yerdel Vargas then tied the game with a soft line drive single to center and Michael Woodworth followed with a two-run groundball single to center for a 4-2 lead.

The three-run seventh snapped a stretch that saw Vermont score just two runs in its previous 46 innings played at Centennial dating back to June 28th and also helped snap a four-game home losing streak for the Lake Monsters.

The Lake Monsters bullpen combined to toss seven scoreless innings with three hits, three walks and 10 strikeouts. Yorlenis Noa came on in the third, allowing two hits with a walk and six strikeouts over 3 2/3 inning. Jose Mora (1-0) followed with 2 1/3 hitless innings, a walk and three punchouts before Jeferson Mejia notched his second save with a scoreless ninth.

Hudson Valley had jumped on top with two runs in the first inning. After Vermont starter Michael Murray retired the first two batters, the Renegades got a single and walk before a Beau Brundage two-run double off the fence in leftcenter.

Kyle McCann cut the deficit in half when he led off the bottom of second inning with his second home run of the season and Vermont’s first homer at Centennial since June 27th.

Renegades starter Rodolfo Sanchez allowed just the McCann homer and three hits with seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings, while Christopher Gau (0-3) the three unearned runs over 2 1/3 innings to take the loss for Hudson Valley (12-12).

Vermont heads out on the road for a three-game series in Williamsport against the Crosscutters starting on Wednesday. The Lake Monsters will return to Centennial for a three-game homestand against Batavia Saturday-Monday.