Courtesy Vermont Lake Monsters
Wappingers Falls, NY — Tyler Frank led off the bottom of the 10th inning with an RBI single to score placed runner Tanner Dodson to give the Hudson Valley Renegades a 4-3 extra-innings victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters in New York-Penn League action Friday night at Dutchess Stadium.
Vermont is now 4-10 at Hudson Valley since September 1, 2016 with nine of the 10 losses coming by just 1 run. Friday also marked the sixth Renegades walkoff victory in those 10 losses.
The Renegades took a 2-0 lead with a pair of RBI doubles from Erik Ostberg in the third and fifth innings off Lake Monsters starter Adam Reuss. Vermont took a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth when Jeremy Eierman smacked a 1-2 pitch over the fence in left for his fourth home run, the 12th home run for Vermont (second three-run homer of season).
Hudson Valley’s Jack Stone quickly tied the game in the bottom of the sixth as he followed a leadoff walk with an RBI triple to rightfield. It was the 10th triple of the season for the Renegades and just the third allowed by Vermont pitchers this season.
Brady Feigl came on in relief of starter Adam Reuss with Stone on third and no outs, but kept the game tied 3-3 with a groundout back to the mound, shallow flyout to right and called stikeout to end the inning. Reuss allowed three runs on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts over five-plus innings.
Feigl also retired the side in order with four strikeouts in both the seventh and eighth innings, including striking out the side in the eighth. Since allowing two runs on two hits over one inning in his Vermont debut June 21st, the 5th-round pick out of Mississippi has given up just one run on two hits with four walks and 22 strikeouts over 13 1/3 innings in his last five outings.
Vermont had runners on first and third with one out in both the eighth and 10th innings, but inning-ending double plays kept the Lake Monters off the scoreboard. Eierman bounced into a 5-4-3 twin killing to end eighth, while second baseman Garrett Giovannelli made a great diving stop and tumbling throw to second to start the double play to end the 10th.
The Renegades had runners on first and second with one out bottom ninth before Brandon Withers induced a 5-3 inning-ending double play to send game to extra innings, but Withers (1-1) gave up the Frank walkoff single to take the loss for Vermont (17-17).
Hudson Valley (21-12) reliever Simon Rosenblum-Larson walked one and struckout five over 3 1/3 hitless innings, while B.J. Myers (2-0) came on to get the innning-ending double play in top 10th to earn the victory. Frank went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, while Osterberg and Stone both had two hits.
The Lake Monsters and Rengades will play the second of the three-game series at Hudson Valley Saturday at 6:05 pm and then the series finale Sunday at 5:05 pm. After an off day on Monday, Vermont will open a six-game homestand at historic Centennial Field on Tuesday.