Sports stats



NYPL Vermont Lake Monsters

Iriart Walkoff 3-Run Homer Gives Vermont 4-3 Win On Friday

August 14, 2015 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Vermont Lake Monsters News Release


BURLINGTON, VT --- Chris Iriart's three-run walkoff homer capped off a four-run bottom of the ninth inning as the Vermont Lake Monsters rallied from a three-run deficit for a 4-3 New York-Penn League victory over the Connecticut Tigers on Friday night at historic Centennial Field.

Trailing 3-0 with just three hits over the first eight innings, Vermont got the rally started with a Steven Pallares one-out walk and Seth Brown followed with a single. After a Brett Siddall flyout to left for the second out, Nick Collins blooped an RBI single into leftcenter cutting the deficit to 3-1 and putting runners on first and second. Iriart then smashed a 1-0 pitch rom Jake Shull high over the right-centerfield fence into the Tigers bullpen for the walkoff three-run homer, the Lake Monsters first game-ending home run since Ben McQuown vs. Lowell on June 27, 2014.

Vermont had struggled offensively over the first eight innings with its only three baserunners coming on a Trace Loehr leadoff single in the first inning, Iriart one-out single in eighth and Ryan Howell two-out single in eighth. After giving up the Loehr single, Connecticut starter Sandy Baez retired the next 18 Lake Monsters he faced (five by strikeout) in his six scoreless innings of work. Drew Smith came on to strikeout two in the seventh and Gerson Moreno got Jesus Lopez to ground out to end the eighth with the tying runs on base.

Connecticut got its first two runs in the sixth on RBI singles from Cam Gibson and Will Allen, the first two earned runs allowed by Vermont pitchers in 30 innings dating back to the first game of a doubleheader at Batavia last Sunday. The Tigers added another run in the ninth on a Keaton Jones sacrifice fly off Dawrin Frias (1-0), who pitched the ninth inning and picked up the win with the Lake Monsters four-run rally.

The Iriart home run, his fourth of the season, was Vermont's first home run in nine games dating back to a Collins homer on August 5th vs. Staten Island. It was also the Lake Monsters first walkoff victory of the season and the team's first since July 30, 2014 when Vermont rallied from a 5-4 deficit with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat Batavia.

The come-from-behind victory gave Vermont its seventh straight win at Centennial Field, longest streak since winning seven straight June 20-July 4, 2010. It also completed a three-game sweep of Connecticut and, coupled with the Lake Monsters three-game sweep of Brooklyn August 6-8 at home, marks the first time in Vermont's history that the team has three-game sweeps of an opponent in consecutive series at Centennial.

Winners of three straight overall and eight of their last 10 games to move three games under .500 for the first time since July 18th, the Lake Monsters (25-28) head out on the road for a quick two-game series at Staten Island on Saturday and Sunday. After two off days for the New York-Penn League All-Star Game on Tuesday, Vermont returns home on Wednesday and Thursday for a two-game series against the Stedler Division-leading Tri-City ValleyCats.

Check out the Vermont Lake Monsters Statistics

• Discuss this story on the New York-Penn League message board...

New York-Penn League Stories from August 14, 2015


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.

OurSports Central