BURLINGTON, VT --- The Lake Monsters scored two runs in each of the first two innings, while pitchers Wyatt Marks and Parker Dunshee combined to allow just two hits over the first seven innings as Vermont shutout Batavia 6-0 in New York-Penn League action Thursday night at historic Centennial Field.
BURLINGTON, VT --- The Lake Monsters scored two runs in each of the first two innings, while pitchers Wyatt Marks and Parker Dunshee combined to allow just two hits over the first seven innings as Vermont shutout Batavia 6-0 in New York-Penn League action Thursday night at historic Centennial Field.
Vermont got a pair of unearned runs on two-out RBI singles from Greg Deichmann and Anthony Churlin after Kevin Merrell had reached on a leadoff error, then doubled the lead to 4-0 on a Ryan Gridley two-run single in the second inning after singles by Jarrett Costa and Merrell.
Starter Wyatt Marks allowed two runs with two walks and one strikeout over the first 3 1/2 innings. Both the hits and one walk came in the third inning to load the bases, but Marks worked out of the two-out jam when first baseman Aaron Arruda made a nice play on a bad hop grounder to end the inning.
Parker Dunshee took over for Marks with two outs in the fourth inning and retired all 10 batters that he faced (five by strikeout over his 3 2/3 innings to earn his first professional win. The 2017 seventh-round pick out of Wake Forest has now tossed 27 1/3 scoreless innings over his nine appearances this season, allowing just 11 hits with six walks and 32 strikeouts.
The Lake Monsters added a fifth run in the fifth on a Jordan Devencenzi RBI single and another in the eighth on a Gridley RBI forceout, his third RBI of the game to raise his team-leading total to 17 overall.
Reliever Marc Berube gave up a single and double to put runners on second and third with one out in the eighth, but struckout Ricardo Cespedes and a groundout from Thomas Jones to escape the jam. Then in the ninth after allowing a leadoff single, Logan Salow struckout the side to seal Vermont's fifth shutout win of the season.
Starter Ryan Lillie (0-4) was charged with four runs (two earned) on seven hits over the first four innings to take the loss for Batavia (17-31), while Harrison White was 2-for-4 with one double for the Muckdogs. Deichmann was 1-for-4 with two runs and an RBI for Vermont, while Devencenzi and Costa each had two hits.
Vermont (27-23), which continues to lead the Stedler Division by 1 1/2 games over Tri-City, heads to Pennsylvania for a three-game series against the State College Spikes. Then after two days off for the NYPL All-Star Game on Tuesday, the Lake Monsters return to Centennial for a six-game homestand August 16-21.
Paul Stanfield is the Media Relations Director for the Vermont Lake Monsters.
