NYPL Vermont Lake Monsters

Yankees clinch McNamara Division title as they rally from 2-1 deficit

Published on August 31, 2011 under New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Vermont Lake Monsters News Release


STATEN ISLAND, NY --- The Staten Island Yankees scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a come-from-behind victory on Wednesday night to clinch the McNamara Division title with a 3-2 win over the Vermont Lake Monsters in New York-Penn League action at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

The Yankees trailed 2-1 before tying the game in the seventh on a Tyler Austin one-out triple and Reymond Nunez RBI single off of  reliever Nathan Kilcrease. Ali Castillo followed with a double to right field and Nunez was thrown out at the plate trying to score, but Vermont catcher Nick Rickles' throwing error trying to get Castillo advancing to third went into leftfield allowing Castillo to score with the unearned go ahead run.

Sean Jamieson was hit by a pitch to leadoff the eighth and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, but Rickles and Crocker struckout to end the threat. Chad Lewis had a two-out single in the ninth, but pinch hitter Dusty Robinson flied out to right to end the game and drop Vermont back to the .500 mark at 35-35.

Vermont had taken a 1-0 lead in the second on a pair of infield singles and a sacrifice fly from Lewis before the Yankees tied the game in the third on a bunt single, two walks and an infield single. Lake Monster starter Drew Granier got out of a further damage by striking out the next two hitters and a popout to end the inning.

 

Granier then struckout the side in the fourth and the first two batters of the fifth for seven strikeouts in an eight-batter stretch, but left the game after a hit batter and walk. He finished with one run on five hits with four walks and 10 strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings. 

The Lake Monsters took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on a run without the benefit of a hit. Crocker and Chad Oberacker each walked to start the inning, moved up on a Jordan Tripp sacrifice bunt and scored on Lewis' second sacrifice fly of the night and league-leading seventh sac fly of the season.

Zachary Arneson tossed two scoreless innings of relief for the win and Branden Pinder two scoreless innings for his league-leading 14th save of the season for Staten Island (45-24), which clinched the McNamara Division as they lead Brooklyn by 4 1/2 games with four games remaining.

Vermont remains 1/2 game behind Connecticut (6-4 loss to Hudson Valley Wednesday) for first-place in the Stedler Division. Both the Lake Monsters and Tigers have a magic number of five to win the division with four days left in the season. Vermont will look to salvage a win in the finale of the three-game series at Staten Island on Thursday before the Lake Monsters return to historic Centennial Field to close out the regular-season with a three game-series with Tri-City starting on Friday.

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New York-Penn League Stories from August 31, 2011


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