Frometa tallies four hits as Starfires comeback falls short in Vermont

BURLINGTON, VERMONT– American International College product Josh Frometa scored two runs, drove in one, and had a season high four hits and the Westfield Starfires brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth inning, but could not quite complete the comeback in their 7-4 loss to the Vermont Lake Monsters, Friday, at Centennial Field.

The Starfires wrap up the season against Vermont with a 10-32-2 record. The Lake Monsters improve to 28-16 on the year with the FCBL’s current best four-game win streak.

The Starfires kicked things off with three straight singles from Frometa, All-Star, and Connecticut Husky Evan Menzel, then lastly a run-scoring base hit from Virginia Cavalier-to-be and Home Run Derby participant Griffin Enis.

Starfires starter and incoming transfer to Southern Connecticut State, Cody Heselton, was on point early, allowing no hits and fanning three Lake Monsters through two innings.

In the bottom of the third, with a runner on and two outs, Vermont dealt some serious damage, drawing a walk, logging three straight singles to score three runs, and then a two-run triple that plated two more, and the hosts suddenly had a 5-1 lead over Westfield.

The Starfires next struck in the top of the fifth after Frometa notched his third hit of the day with a single up the middle, then Menzel walked, followed by an infield hit from Enis.

This packed the bags for the team’s best run producer, Northwestern’s Griffin Mills, and the rising junior came up with a sacrifice fly to bring the Starfires within three runs, 5-2.

Vermont put three on with one out in the sixth inning, then a weakly hit infield grounder turned into an infield single, scoring Vermont’s sixth run on the night. However, Wheaton’s Greg Strite and the Starfires limited the damage after a 4-6-3 double play ended the inning.

The Lake Monsters added another run in the seventh, but in the eighth, the Starfires got their first hit for extra bases with a double off the wall from Brown Bear Alex Benevento. Turning the lineup over, Frometa then traded places with him with a double down the left field line for his fourth hit of the game, making the contest 7-3.

Down by four in the ninth, the Starfires remained resilient, beginning with a Mills single, then a walk by Northeastern’s Anthony Ruggiero. Ruggiero’s college teammate Cooper Tarantino then barreled up a ball for a single to score Mills, trimming the lead to three.

Benevento then put together a disciplined at-bat, eventually drawing four balls to get on base, representing the tying run.

The All-Star from Boston College, John Mass, then stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter and battled against the new pitcher Sean Gamble, fouling off a couple of pitches, but eventually he went down on strikes for the third out as the Lake Monsters took the season finale against the Starfires.

Frometa’s 4-for-5 day was the first time this season the third-year Starfire had more than two hits on the year, and four base knocks tied his previous career high, which was set exactly one year ago today on July 18, 2024, in a win over the Brockton Rox.

Both Benevento and Enis had two base hits on the night; for Benevento, he has logged a hit in three straight games now, while Enis has recorded a hit in eight of his 12 games for Westfield thus far in the season.

Strite was the only reliever the Starfires had to use, taking the remainder of the game after Heselton and ending his night with 3 ⅔ innings of work with three hits, no earned runs, no walks, and four strikeouts.

The Starfires will stay on the road and head down to Fitton Field for a matchup against the Worcester Bravehearts Saturday, July 19, at 6:35 p.m.

The FCBL All-Star Fan Vote is still open at thefuturesleague.com where Starfires fans can vote to send Griffin Mills to the midsummer classic at Polar Park in Worcester on Tuesday, July 22.

Tickets to all Starfires home games can be purchased at www.westfieldstarfires.com.