Baseball: Aberdeen Completes Sweep, Beating Monsters 7-2

Courtesy Vermont Lake Monsters

BURLINGTON — Jean Carmona went 3-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored, while 2019 overall number one draft pick Adley Rutschman went 2-for-3 with two walks, a double and two RBI as the Aberdeen Irons completed a three-game sweep at historic Centennial Field with a
7-2 New York-Penn League victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters Tuesday night.

The Ironbirds, who shutout the Vermont 11-0 and 7-0 (tossing a no-hitter) in the first two games of the series, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in game three with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first off Vermont starter Jack Cushing.

Cushing allowed the two unearned runs on three hits with four strikeouts before leaving the game in the fourth after getting the first two outs of the inning. Reliever Leudeny Pineda gave up single and two walks to load the bases before Rutschman delivered a two-run single to right.

Vermont, which had snapped an 0-for-38 skid on a Lawrence Butler two-out double in the second inning, got its first run of the series (and snapping a 26-inning Centennial Field scoring drought) in the fourth when Logan Davidson led off the inning with a double and scored on a one-out bases loaded sacrifice fly from Kevin Richards.

The Ironbirds added two more unearned runs in the sixth and Kyle Stowers added his second home run in as many nights with a solo shot in the seventh as Aberdeen outscored the Lake Monsters 25-2 over the three-game series.

Butler capped off a 2-for-3 and a walk night with a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the ninth off Ironbirds reliever Dan Hammer, who had four strikeouts over final four innings to earn his first save. Starter Houston Roth (3-0) allowed one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts over first five innings to pick up win for Aberdeen (32-26).

The homestand continues for Vermont (25-33) with the first of a three-game series against the Brooklyn Cyclones at 7:05 pm Wednesday with the first 1,000 fans receiving a free Lake Monsters fleece winter hat.