NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Mountaineers Force Decisive Game with Clutch 5-4 Victory

August 10, 2015 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Vermont Mountaineers News Release


MONTPELIER, Vt. - The Vermont Mountaineers defeated the Mystic Schooners, 5-4, in Game 2 of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Championship series at Recreation Field on Monday night.

With the victory, Vermont has forced a decisive Game 3 in Mystic on Tuesday night to determine which side will hoist the Fay Vincent Sr. Cup, as league champion.

Vermont starting pitcher Sean Leland (Orland Park, Ill. / Louisville) was brilliant. The righthander dealt eight innings of one-run ball, allowing six hits and no walks. He struck out six. He earned the win to improve to 2-0 in the playoffs.

Schooners' starter Tim Holmes (Jacksonville, Fla. / Fisher) took the loss, dropping to 0-1 on the postseason. The righthander lasted just three innings, giving up four runs (all earned) on six hits and three walks.

With the Mountaineers leading 5-1 entering the ninth inning, Manager Joe Brown (Cortland, N.Y. / SUNY Cortland) brought local product Billy Whaley (Northfield, Vt. / Norwich) in to close out the game. Mystic first baseman Dan Hoy (Sellersville, Pa. / Princeton) led off the frame with a solo homerun to left field to make it 5-2. After back-to-back fly outs, catcher Lou Iannotti (North Haven, Conn. / Quinnipiac) reached with a two out walk. Designated hitter John Brucker (Sparta, N.J. / Marist) then connected on an RBI double to cut the deficit to 5-3. The next batter, pinch hitter Chase Livingston (Niantic, Conn. / Rhode Island) singled through the middle, scoring Brucker to make it a 5-4 game. The next hitter, Nick Mascelli (Clifton, N.J. / Wagner) flew out to end the game, as Vermont held on for the 5-4 win.

Mystic scored one run in the first after rightfielder Ben Ruta (West Windsor, N.J. / Wagner) singled and third baseman Rich Slenker (Wilton, Conn. / Yale) tripled to center.

Vermont answered with two runs in the first, one in the third and two in the fourth.

In the first, rightfielder Jack Parenty (Wantagh, N.Y. / Stony Brook) walked to lead off the inning. Leftfielder Nick Ruppert (La Mesa, Calif. / Dartmouth) followed with a single to set the stage at first and second with no outs. Three batters later, second baseman Garrett Copeland (Bartlett, Tenn. / Austin Peay) smacked a two RBI single to put Vermont up 2-1.

In the third, centerfielder Laren Eustace (Batavia, Ill. / Indiana) hit an RBI single to short, allowing college teammate, shortstop Isaiah Pasteur (Westminster, Md. / Indiana), to score and give Vermont a 3-1 advantage.

In the fourth, third baseman Austin Clemons (Louisville, Ky. / Louisville) led off with a single. Two batters after Parenty laid down a sacrifice bunt, first baseman Joe Dudek (Wall Township, N.J. / Kentucky) ripped an RBI single to plate Clemons and put the Mountaineers up 4-1. Catcher Ridge Smith (Clarksville, Tenn. / Austin Peay) walked with the bases loaded later in the frame to make the 5-1.

On Tuesday, the Mountaineers will seek the franchise's third NECBL title, and first since 2007.

Manager Brown, who led the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons to a Division-III College Baseball World Series title this spring, looks to guide Vermont to the summit of NECBL success in his third year at the helm of the squad.

Tuesday night's decisive Game 3 can be heard locally on CBS Sports 1240 WSKI and online at thevermontmountaineers.com. The first pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m. at Fitch High School.

• Discuss this story on the New England Collegiate Baseball League message board...

New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 10, 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