Lake Monsters Two Wins At Oneonta Wednesday

ONEONTA, NY --- After winning the completion of Tuesday's suspended game 3-2 in 11 innings, the Vermont Lake Monsters scored six runs in the second inning of Wednesday's scheduled seven-inning game and beat the Oneonta Tigers 9-4 in New York-Penn League action at Damaschke Field.

Adam Amar and Jack Walker both doubled in the top of the 11th inning to give the Lake Monsters a 3-2 win in the completion of Tuesday's game that was suspended by rain with the score tied 1-1 in the top of the sixth inning.

Amar, who went 3-for-5 to break out of a 1-for-23 slump to start the season, led off the 11th with his second double of the game. After Justin Bloxom's sacrifice bunt moved pinch runner J.J. Sferra to third base, Walker put the Lake Monsters on top with an RBI double to centerfield.

Clayton Dill (2-1), who struckout three in 2 2/3 innings of relief, retired the side in order with two strikeouts in the bottom of the 11th inning to pick up his second win of the season. Oneonta reliever Michael Torrealba (1-1) allowed one run on two hits over three innings for the loss.

When Tuesday's suspended game resumed in the top of the sixth inning tied at one on Wednesday, Vermont quickly took a 2-1 lead on a Brian Pruitt RBI single to score Francisco Soriano. The Lake Monsters held the lead until the ninth inning when the Tigers got a leadoff double, bunt single and sacrifice fly to tie the game.

In Wednesday's regularly-scheduled game, the Tigers took a 3-1 lead in the first when they scored three runs on four hits off Vermont starter Trevor Holder. But the Lake Monsters responded with six runs on just three hits in the top of the second for a 7-3 advantage.

The rally began as Vermont loaded the bases on three walks by Oneonta staeter Gary Perinar (1-2). Sferra followed with an RBI single and Jeff Kobernus an RBI walk to tie the game. Sean Nicol greeted reliever Wade Kapreyn with an RBI single and J.P. Ramirez followed with a two-run single for a 6-3 lead. The Lake Monsters got their sixth run on a run-scoring wild pitch.

Oneonta got an unearned run off Holder in the bottom of the second, but reliever Pat Lehman took over with two out in the third inning and went on to toss 4 2/3 scoreless innings for the win. Lehman (2-0) retired 13 of the 14 batters that he faced with the only baserunner coming on a one-out hit batter in the sixth inning.

Nicol went 3-for-3 with two runs, a double and two RBI for his third three-hit game over his last four games played to raise his team-leading batting average to .353 overall. Kobernus and Sferra both scored two runs, while Ramirez had a game-high three RBI.

The two wins moved Vermont (10-9) back over the .500 mark and leave the Lake Monsters just one game behind Oneonta (10-7) for first-place in the Stedler Division. The two teams will meet again at Oneonta on Thursday night beginning at 7:00 pm.