Game 3 preview: Mountaineers at Mainers

Several mistakes late in the game doomed the Mountaineers, and they look to bounce back from a 4-3 loss to Valley. They'll travel to Sanford to take on the Mainers, who have won two straight and are 2-1 and tied atop the Northern Division.

Vermont Mountaineers (1-1) at Sanford Mainers (2-1)

Time/Place: 6:30 p.m, Goodall Park

Media: Teamline

Pitching Matchup:  Sanford RHP Ben Wessel (Rhode Island) vs. Vermont RHP Elliot Ashbeck (Bradley)

Last games: Sanford 2-0 win against Laconia, Vermont 4-3 loss to Valley

Wessel is a redshirt freshman from Rhode Island who made six starts and 12 appearances this spring for the Rams. He struck out 27 in 44.2 innings of work and posted a 5.24 ERA. Wessel will be facing off against Elliot Ashbeck, a right hander who's seen action at first base this year for the Mountaineers.

Ashbeck (left) enjoyed a strong spring at Bradley as he posted a 2.75 ERA over 11 starts and 73.2 innings of work. He struck out 46 and posted a 1.15 WHIP. He also played for the Great Lakes league last summer with the Licking County Settlers and had a 2.64 ERA over five starts with 28 strikeouts in 34 innings.

Hitters to fear: Sanford 3B Sam Dexter (Southern Maine), Vermont OF Jack Parenty (Stony Brook)

Dexter (left) is hitting .583 through the first three games as he has a trio of multi-hit games, including a 3-4 performance against Newport. Tied for the league lead in hits with seven, Dexter has scored three runs and has a double. He's carrying his success over from his spring season where he hit .382 with 14 doubles and a .427 OBP.

Parenty, on the other hand, leads the Mountaineers with a .444 average. He went 3-5 against Laconia and added a 1-4 night against Valley. He has a .500 OBP and has also swiped two bases.

Outlook: The Mountaineers made several mistakes near the end- a throwing error and running into an out at third with the potential game-tying run in the ninth- and it doomed them as they fell to Valley. Their pitching has been very good- just three earned runs over the first 18 innings, but hitting has been a week spot. Vermont is hitting just .213 as a team, including a .048 mark with runners in scoring position. Sanford has strong hitting and decent pitching which makes them a more balanced team relative to the Mountaineers. Vermont has the hitters- Chandler Brock stands out- and they just need to get out of this collective team slump. They have been aggressive as they lead the league in stolen bases with eight, a lone bright spot for this offense who've been relying on errors to score.