Baseball: Monsters End Scoreless Inning Streak, But Fall at Lowell 7-1

Courtesy Vermont Lake Monsters

LOWELL, MA — Joe Davis went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and two-run double to lead the Stedler Division-leading Lowell Spinners to a 7-1 victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters Monday night in New York-Penn League action at LeLecheur Park.

Jack Cushing, Oakland’s 22nd-round pick out of Georgetown, was solid through the first three innings with just one hit and one walk allowed in his Vermont debut. But after back-to-back walks to open the fourth, he gave up the Davis line drive three-run homer to leftfield.

Vermont, which came into the game with two straight 3-0 losses to Staten Island over the weekend, finally snapped a 28-inning scoreless streak in the top of the seventh inning on a Michael Woodworth bases loaded sacrifice fly scoring Yerdel Vargas, who had led off the inning with a walk. It was the Lake Monsters first run since the fourth inning Friday.

The Spinners got that run back in the bottom of the seventh on a Alex Erro squeeze bunt scoring Nick Decker, who had singled with one out and advanced to third on a stolen base/wild pitch. Davis, Boston’s 19th-round pick out of Houston, picked up his two-run double in the eighth to increase Spinners lead to 6-1 and end the night with five RBI.

Bryan Lucas (1-1) allowed three hits with two walks and four strikeouts over five scoreless innings to earn the win for Lowell (12-4). Decker went 2-for-4 with a run and RBI, while Elih Marrero and Will Dalton both scored two runs.

Logan Davidson, Oakland’s first-round pick, opened up the top of the eighth with as single for his first professional hit, but was doubled off first on a Jordan Diaz line drive to first baseman Davis. Nick Osborne was 2-for-2 with a walk and double for Vermont (8-9), which has now lost three straight.

The Lake Monsters and Spinners continue the three-game series on Tuesday at Lowell beginning at 7:05 pm.