Marlow's homer leads 'Cats to 9-2 win
TROY, NY - Brooks Marlow hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the 7th inning, while Dexture McCall went 4-for-5 with three runs batted in, as the Tri-City ValleyCats defeated the Vermont Lake Monsters 9-2 in front of 4,222 fans at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, on Friday night.
While five different batters posted multi-hit games for the 'Cats, they also got a solid performance from their pitching staff, as Trent Thornton, Scott Weathersby, and Steve Naemark combined to strike out 11 Lake Monsters, while allowing only five base hits.
Tri-City entered the scoring column with two outs in bottom of the third, when McCall earned two RBIs with a bases loaded single to left field that drove home Johnny Sewald and Aaron Mizell. Also scoring on the play was Bryan Muniz, who came home on a throwing error by Vermont left fielder Seth Brown, as the 'Cats jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
Vermont then scored one run in the top of the fourth, while threatening to score more, before Thornton induced a bases-loaded ground to end the inning.
Weathersby replaced Thornton to start the fifth frame, and allowed a solo home run to Gabriel Santana, the first Lake Monster he faced, before three straight Vermont batters reached creating a bases-loaded situation with no outs, and the ValleyCats only ahead by one run.
However, Weathersby went on to strike out Vermont first baseman Chris Iriart, and left fielder Seth Brown, before getting center fielder Skye Bolt to fly out to Sewald in center, stranding the bases loaded, and keeping the score 3-2 in favor of Tri-City.
Those three consecutive batters retired were the first of fifteen straight outs recorded by 'Cats pitchers to end the game, as Weathersby went on to retire the next eight hitters he faced, before Naemark came in to close out the game with 1.1 perfect frames.
Although the score did remain at 3-2 heading into the seventh, the 'Cats broke the game open in that frame.
After Muniz walked with one out, then moved over to third on a single by McCall, he scored on a wild pitch to increase the Tri-City lead to two runs. Two batters later, Anthony Hermelyn drove home McCall with a single to left field, then Porter singled to right, bringing up Marlow with runners on first and second base.
Marlow then broke the game open, driving a 3-1 pitch from Vermont left-hander Tyler Painton high over the right field wall, driving home Hermelyn and Porter, and increasing the 'Cats lead to 8-2.
Tri-City closed out their scoring in the bottom of the eighth, when McCall drove home Sewald with an RBI single to right field, making the score 9-2.
McCall led the way in the hit column for the 'Cats, setting a career-high in hits, while tying a career-high in runs batted in with a 4-for-5, 3 RBI game.
Four other 'Cats had multi-hit performances, as Marlow (2-for-4 with the home run and three runs batted in), Porter (2-for-5), Hermelyn (2-for-5 with a run batted in) and Sewald (2-for-3 with two walks, and two runs) all had strong games at the plate.
On the mound, Thornton struck out five batters in four frames, Naemark struck out a batter in one and a third, while Weathersby earned his first professional win, thanks to his 3.2 innings pitched, and five strikeouts.
After taking two out of three against Vermont, the ValleyCats will look to continue their winning ways on Saturday, when they begin a three-game home series against the Aberdeen IronBirds at 7:00 p.m.
Getting the start for the ValleyCats will be RHP Agapito Barrios (0-0, 1.69), with LHP Reid Love (0-1, 6.00) on the mound for Aberdeen.