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Vermont Picks Up First Win Of Season In Home Opener

June 9, 2012 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Vermont Mountaineers News Release


Montpelier, Vt. - Starting pitcher Nolan Snell (Albequerque, N.M/Mesa State) pitched six innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball to help propel the Vermont Mountaineers to a 5-1 victory over the Holyoke Blue Sox in New England Collegiate Baseball League action on Saturday night at Montpelier Recreation Field. It was the home opener for the Mountaineers who picked up their first win of the season and improved to 1-2 on the year.

Snell (1-0) was masterful in his summer debut pitching three no-hit innings to begin the game before giving up a one out single to Max Pentecost in the top of the fourth. That would be the only hit he would give up as he allowed just three base-runners throughout the six innings walking one batter and hitting another. He also struck out seven hitters and retired the last seven men he faced.

For the third consecutive game, Vermont scored first in the game as Brian O'Grady singled to lead off the first inning. After back-to-back ground outs to push O'Grady (Warminster, Pa./Rutgers) to third, Logan Pierced laced a single to plate O'Grady and give Vermont a 1-0 lead. Holyoke (1-2) starter David Speer would settle in after the first and retire 10 of the next 12 men he faced not allowing another run until the fifith.

In the home half of the fifth inning, Lamoille Union High School graduate Casey Brighton (Hyde Park, Vt./SUNY-Plattsburgh) launched a solo shot to left centerfield giving the Mountaineers and insurance run. They would add another in the bottom of the sixth when Rob Kelly, who returns to Montpelier after a successfull 2011 summer, reached on an error by second baseman Phil Mosey to lead off the inning. Kelly (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Saint Anslem) then stole both second and third before scoring on a Johnny Mishu single that chased Speer from the game.

Vermont would score another run in the bottom of the seventh inning as Brighton hit a one out double and advanced to third on a throwing error from then reliever Brandon Thomas. Thomas proceeded to walk Aaron Barbosa (Dracut, Mass./Northeastern) to put runners at the corners with two outs. On the next pitch, Barbosa would still second and on the throw from Pentecost, Brighton broke for home and reached safely to push the Mountaineers to a 4-0 advantage.

In the top of the seventh, Kellen Urbon (San Diego, Calif./Cornell) came on in relief of Snell and pitched two innings, giving up just one run on an RBI groundout in the top of the eighth inning to spoil a shutout attempt and cut the Mountaineers lead down to 4-1. Vermont would get that run back in the bottom of the eighth inning as Pierce (Troy, Ala./Troy) led of the inning with a single, stole second, and scored on a bases loaded walk with nobody out. That would be the only run the Mountaineers would score in the inning as Nick Bougopoulos found a way to work out of the jam.

2011 NECBL Second Team member Kyle Grana (St. Louis, Mo./Bellarmine) returned to the hill for a perfect ninth inning including consecutive strikeouts to end the game.

Vermont returns to action tomorrow night, Sunday June 10, when they host reigning NECBL champions Keene at 6:30 p.m. at Montpelier Recreation Field. All the action can be heard live on ESPN 1240, WSKI and online at www.thevermontmountaineers.com.

Game Notes: The Mountaineers combined for seven stolen bases in the game giving them nine on the young season. Vermont set the the league single-season stolen base record with 118 last season. Aaron Barbosa and Rob Kelly lead the team with two each.

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