Keene State’s Nathan Pirog went five innings, allowing just one run in his start, but the Vermont Lake Monsters scored three times in the eighth to win 4-2 over the Westfield Starfires on Saturday, June 7, at Centennial Field.
The Starfires fall multiple games below .500 for the first time this season as they now hold a 4-6 record. The Lake Monsters continue to roll with a four-game win streak to put themselves at 7-3 on the season.
In a game that heavily contrasted last night’s matchup, the early part of game two was scoreless, with both Pirog and Vermont starter Jackson Beattie looking sharp early.
Vermont got a chance in the second, beginning the inning with two singles to put runners on the corners with no outs. The next batter hit a groundball to third, and the runner was caught a little too far off the base. Menzel made a nice tag to get the lead runner, and then Pirog followed this with a flyball and a groundball to escape the inning.
In the top of the fourth, former Maine Blackbear Evan Menzel started the inning with a single, and then future Stonehill Skyhawk Kacin Robinson singled as well to put runners on first and second with one out. However, Westfield couldn’t get the runners closer to scoring after a strikeout and a groundout, keeping the game knotted at zero.
In the bottom of the frame, the Lake Monsters got a double, a flyball to move the runner to third, then another flyball to score the game’s first run in the fourth.
Once again in the fifth, the Starfires got two runners with a walk from Holy Cross product Van Liott and Southern Maine’s Peter Keblinsky reaching with a single, but once again were unable to score as Vermont continued to lead by one run.
Future Richmond Spider Tripp Woytowicz came on in relief of Pirog and kept the game at 1-0, tossing two scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh.
The game headed into the top of the eighth still at 1-0, where the Starfires began with Keblinskytaking one for the team with a hit by pitch and Menzel drawing a walk to put on the first two runners in the inning for the first time in the game for the Starfires.
Wisconsinite Caleb Karll then had a beautiful bunt down the third base line that the Lake Monsters could do nothing with, juicing the bags with nobody out. Kacin Robinson came to the plate and hit a groundball to third, but the Vermont third baseman misplayed it and it went off his glove on the backhand attempt and into left field, scoring both Keblinsky and Menzel.
The Lake Monsters escaped without any more Starfires crossing the plate, but not before Westfield took a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.
Now trailing for the first time today, the Lake Monsters began the bottom of the eighth with three straight singles, with a Starfires wild pitch mixed in between to tie it up before Westfield could get an out. A walk loaded the bases, then a wild pitch scored what turned out to be the game-winning run, then a sacrifice fly got the third run of the inning, as Vermont was now doubling up Westfield 4-2.
Boston College’s John Mass led the ninth inning off with a single into right, but the Lake Monsters secured the win after retiring the next three batters, and the hosting Lake Monsters took the first two games of the series.
Menzel was 2-for-4 on the day to bring his season average up to .375, which is good for seventh across the FCBL. Robinson had the lone RBI for the Starfires as well as a stolen base in the loss.
Pirog twirled five innings, allowing five hits, one run, and three punchouts with no walks. After allowing just one run in his 10 innings of work on the season, the Bristol, Connecticut native now holds a 0.90 ERA on the young season to place third in the league.
The Starfires will look to return to Bullens on a high note with the series finale against the Lake Monsters scheduled for tomorrow, June 8, at 5:05 p.m.
Tickets to all Starfires home games can be found at www.westfieldstarfires.com.
