Kimmel Slams 'Birds to Victory in Vermont

BURLINGTON, VT - With a light rain falling at Centennial Field in the bottom of the ninth, Janser Severino got Brett Vertigan to ground out to second to end the ballgame and give the IronBirds a 7-5 victory. Trailing by a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning, Sam Kimmel belted a grand slam to right field to give Aberdeen a lead they would not relinquish. The IronBirds bullpen continued to excel in Vermont as they closed out the Tuesday's contest with six scoreless frames.

Following an extra-inning victory in the series opener, the IronBirds' picked up where they left off in the first inning on Tuesday night. Facing RHP Nolan Sanburn, Aberdeen plated three runs in the first. With two on and one out, SS Joel Hutter hit a two-run double to right-center. 2B Creede Simpson and 3B Torsten Boss scored on Hutter's double. Later in the frame, 1B Hector Veloz stepped to the dish with two in scoring position. Veloz singled to left. Joel Hutter scored from third but Anthony Vega was thrown out at home to end the inning. In all, the IronBirds plated three runs on three hits in the first inning.

The Lake Monsters tied the game up with a three-run second inning and took the lead in the third. DH Bruce Maxwell put Vermont in front in the third inning with a RBI single to centerfield. RF Chris Bostick scored on the play to put the Lake Monsters in front 4-3. 1B Matt Olson capped off the third inning with a sac fly to right field.

In his final start of the season, RHP David Richardson allowed five runs on five hits over three innings. Richardson struck out three, walked two, and did not factor in the decision.

Vermont's starter, Nolan Sanburn, exited after three innings and RHP Tyler Vail entered out the bullpen. Vail tossed a scoreless fourth inning but he ran into trouble in the fifth. C Scott Kalush led off the inning with a walk. After Alexander Mercedes struck out swinging, 2B Creede Simpson singled and 3B Torsten Boss was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Vail buckled down and struck out Joel Hutter for the second out of the inning but Vail would not retire Sam Kimmel. Kimmel belted a pitch down the right field line. The big fly stayed fair and the IronBirds' second grand slam of the season put the Aberdeen in front, 7-5.

The two-run advantage was plenty for the IronBirds' bullpen. Alexander Santana, Jose Nivar, and Janser Severino combined to throw six scoreless innings to close out the game. In his IronBirds debut, Santana (1-0) tossed four shutout frames and picked up the victory. Nivar threw a scoreless eighth and Janser Severino closed out the game out en route to his first New York-Penn League save. Tyler Vail (3-4) got the loss out the Lake Monsters' bullpen.

Over the past two nights in Vermont, the IronBirds' bullpen has not allowed a run in 14 innings of work.

The IronBirds and Lake Monsters will finish the 2012 campaign on Wednesday night in Burlington, VT. LHP Jorge Rivera (1-2, 3.55) will take the hill for Aberdeen while the Lake Monsters will turn to RHP Michael Ynoa (1-3, 8.15). First pitch from Centennial Field is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. with coverage on the IronBirds Radio Network set to begin at 5:50 p.m.