Baseball: Monsters Losing Streak Hits Seven

Courtesy Vermont Lake Monsters

BURLINGTON — After Staten Island won the completion of a suspended game from Friday night 7-3, the Yankees got a run in the top of the first inning of Saturday night’s regularly-scheduled seven-inning nightcap and made it stand up in a 1-0 victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters Saturday night at historic Centennial Field.

The Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the first when Alex Junior led off with a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a Kyle Gray RBI single to left field. Eri Wagaman followed with a single, but those would be the only two hits allowed by Vermont starter Rafael Kelly (4-5) over five innings with three walks (one intentional) and four strikeouts.

It looked as if Vermont would tie the game with two outs in the bottom of the first as Alfonso Rivas lined one deep to right, but Junior Soto reached his glove over the fence to steal a potential game-tying home run from Rivas. The Lake Monsters also had runners in scoring position with two outs in the second, fourth and fifth innings, but were unable to score the tying run.

Yankees starter Juan De Paula allowed three hits with four walks and seven strikeouts over four-plus innings, while Aaron McGarity three hitless innings of relief (struckout the side in the seventh) to earn the win for Staten Island (31-26).

Vermont (27-32) has now lost seven straight games, its longest losing streak since dropping 11 straight August 1-11, 2016, and are now five games under .500 for the first time this season. The shutout was also the fourth thrown against the Lake Monsters this season.

Staten Island and Vermont will wrap up the three-game series at Centennial 5:05 pm on Sunday. The first 1,000 fans will receive a Lake Monsters fleece blanket and all fans can stay after the game to “Have A Catch” on the field.