NYPL Vermont Lake Monsters

Solo homerun in ninth give Tigers the win

August 21, 2005 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Vermont Lake Monsters News Release


BURLINGTON, VT --- Justin Justice tied the game in eighth with a solo home run and Matt Joyce gave Oneonta the victory with a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning for a 5-4 Tiger victory in New York-Penn League action Sunday evening at Centennial Field.

Vermont had just scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 4-3 lead when Justice led off the eighth inning against Expos reliever Chris Lugo with his second home run of the season.

The Expos had a chance to retake the lead in the bottom of the eighth as a leadoff walk and one-out single from Francsico Plasencia put runners on the corners for Vermont, but Plasencia was caught stealing and Carlos Torres struckout to end the threat.

Craig Stammen relived Lugo to start the ninth inning and gave up the one-out solo home run to Matt Joyce, his first home run of the year. The Expos got a runner to second base with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Rob Sandora struckout and Brandon Conway, who is 0-for-his-last-32 at the plate, grounded out to end the game.

Vermont took a 1-0 lead in the second inning before the Tigers scored three times, including a two-run double from Justice, in the third inning off Expos starter Aaron Jackson for a 3-2 lead.

Sandora had a two-run double in the eighth to give Vermont the short-lived 4-3 lead before the two Oneonta home runs in the eighth and ninth innings. The Tigers took three of four games in the series and out homered the Expos 7-0 in the series.

Gibbs Wilson (1-0) picked up the win in relief of starter Matt O'Brien, who allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits over 6.1 innings. Anthony Claggett gave up a hit and struckout one in the ninth for his sixth save of the season. Stammen (3-5) allowed the homer to Joyce in the ninth to take the loss.

Justice was 2-for-5 with two runs, one double, one homer and three RBI to lead Oneonta (35-23), while William Rhymes was 2-for-5. Plasencia was 2-for-4 for Vermont (20-39), which is 2-4 on its current eight-game homestand.

The homestand will take a break for a couple of days with an off day on Monday and the first-ever New York-Penn League All-Star Game at Brooklyn on Tuesday night. The Expos return to action Wednesday night when they open a two-game series with the Lowell Spinners at Centennial.

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