'Cats Beat Vermont, Earn No. 1 Seed Throughout Playoffs
Published on September 1, 2014 under New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Tri-City ValleyCats News Release
BURLINGTON, Vt. - Ricky Gingras hit a solo home run in the ninth inning, proving to be the game-winning run, as the Tri-City ValleyCats finished the regular season with a 3-2 win over the Vermont Lake Monsters Monday evening at Centennial Field. With the win, the 'Cats clinch the top seed in the 2014 New York-Penn League Playoffs.
Tri-City (48-28) will seek to defend its 2013 NYPL Championship and will do so with home-field advantage throughout the '14 Playoffs.
Gingras' homer in the ninth was his third of the season and gave the ValleyCats a 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the frame, the Lake Monsters' Seong-min Kim hit a two-out solo shot to tighten things up. 'Cats closer Ryan Thompson, pitching his second inning of work, induced a grounder to end the game.
Tri-City got the scoring started with a pair of triples to begin the third inning. Shortstop Mott Hyde led off the frame with a triple to center field off Vermont starter Jerad Grundy (4-7). Right fielder Jose Solano followed suit with a triple of his own to score Hyde. Center fielder Jason Martin brought home Solano, reaching on a fielder's choice.
The Lake Monsters cut the lead in half with a solo home run by Jose Brizuela.
Six ValleyCats pitchers combined to shutdown the Lake Monsters. Starter Austin Chrismon went two innings before giving way to Brandon McNitt (2-1). McNitt and Junior Garcia each went two innings, while Aaron Vaughn and Bryan Radziewski tag-teamed the seventh inning. Thompson earned his 12th save by getting the final six outs of the game.
The ValleyCats tied State College, who won earlier in the day, for the best record in the league. Due to the 'Cats series victory over the Spikes, Tri-City will be awarded the top overall seed in the playoffs and will play either Connecticut or Brooklyn in the Semi-Final Series, beginning Wednesday. Connecticut's and Brooklyn's games were on-going at the conclusion of Tri-City's win. Check the ValleyCats Facebook and Twitter pages for updates on which team the 'Cats will face in the first round.
Tri-City will be on the road for the first game and will host Game 2 at 7 p.m. Thursday at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium. Tickets are on sale now for the entire 2014 postseason. Order by visiting tcvalleycats.com, calling 518-629-CATS (2287) or stopping by the stadium box office.
New York-Penn League Stories from September 1, 2014
- CT Tigers First Round Playoff Tickets on Sale Tuesday - Norwich Sea Unicorns
- Tigers Headed to NYPL Playoffs - Norwich Sea Unicorns
- Spinners Can't Hold On, Go Down Swinging - Lowell Spinners
- Jammers End Season with Doubleheader Split - Jamestown Jammers
- Abreu Puts Cyclones on His Back; Down Bombers 11-3 - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Lake Monsters Season Ends With 3-2 Loss To Tri-City - Vermont Lake Monsters
- 'Cats Beat Vermont, Earn No. 1 Seed Throughout Playoffs - Tri-City ValleyCats
- Aberdeen Wins See-Saw Season Finale, 10-6 - Aberdeen IronBirds
- Spikes Clinch Home Field in First Playoff Series With 6-0 Win over 'Cutters - State College Spikes
- Spikes shutout Cutters in season finale - Williamsport Crosscutters
- ValleyCats to Host Semi-Final Series Game 2 Thursday - Tri-City ValleyCats
- Game Notes: Renegades at IronBirds - Aberdeen IronBirds
- State College Spikes Game Notes - September 1 at Williamsport - State College Spikes
- Rain Postpones Renegades and IronBirds - Hudson Valley Renegades
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
