NYPL Vermont Lake Monsters

Lowell uses five-run fifth inning to beat Lake Monsters 6-4

Published on August 2, 2008 under New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Vermont Lake Monsters News Release


LOWELL, MA --- The Lowell Spinners got a pair of two-run doubles in a 5-run fifth inning for a 5-0 lead and went on to hold off the Vermont Lake Monsters 6-4 in New York-Penn League action Saturday night at LeLechuer Park.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the 5th when the Spinners scored five runs off Vermont reliever Jose Pinales. The first run scored without benefit of a hit as Pinales started the inning with a walk to Will Middlebrooks, who stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Ryan Dent sacrifice fly.

Pinales walked the next two batters and Mitch Denning followed with a two-run double to right center for a 3-0 Lowell lead. After Pinales walked his fourth batter of the inning, Kade Keowen smashed a two-run double to left center to cap off the five-run inning.

Vermont had just two hits over the first six innings, but rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh. The four-run inning was the first time that the Lake Monsters have scored more than three runs in an inning since scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth in a 10-9 loss to Batavia on July 6th.

Derek Norris, who had his seven-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-2 night, was hit by a pitch to reliever Stephen Fife to start the seventh. Tyler Moore snapped an 0-for-23 slump with a line drive single to advance Norris to second and Norris then scored when Blake Stouffer bounced back to the mound and Fife's throw to second went off the glove of shortstop Dent into centerfield.

Vermont would then score two runs on RBI groundouts from Michael Guerrero and Chris Solis, while Dani Arias cut the deficit to 5-4 with an RBI single to center field. The Lake Monsters had a chance for a five-run inning as Jake Dugger hit a pitch to deep left center, but center fielder Ronald Bermudez was able to run the ball down for the final out of the inning.

The Spinners added an insurance run as Middlebrooks led off the eighth with Lowell's fifth double of the game and scored on a Matt Cooney RBI single for a 6-4 lead. Fife, who gave up the four runs (three earned) in the seventh, ended the game by striking out the side in the top of the ninth inning as the Lake Monsters struckout 14 times overall.

Lowell starter Stolmy Pimental (3-2) allowed just two hits with eight strikeouts in five innings for the win, while Dening and Middlebrooks both had two doubles on the night. Lowell (23-20) has now won eight of its last 10 games, including five of six over the Lake Monsters in the last 10 games.

Vermont starter Will Atwood allowed two hits with one walk and six strikeouts, but he could not come out for the fifth inning as it took over 70 pitches for him to get through four scoreless innings. Pinales (1-1) was charged with all five runs in the seventh for the loss, while Randy Matias one run on six hits with five strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings. Stephen Englund had two of the Lake Monsters five hits.

Vermont (19-24) have now lost five straight games and 10 of its last 11 games to fall five games under .500 for the first time this season. The Lake Monsters will once again try to snap the losing streak at Lowell on Sunday as Pat McCoy starts for Vermont in the 1:35 pm afternoon game.

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New York-Penn League Stories from August 2, 2008


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