Game 15 Recap: SteepleCats 6, Mountaineers 3

Joe Jacques gave up three quick runs and the Mountaineers couldn't respond. /Manhattan

Vermont out-hit North Adams, drew more walks, struck out less and left the same number of runners on base. Yet the Mountaineers were doubled up, losing 6-3 for their 12th loss of the season. 

Any momentum carried over from scoring a season-high seven runs in a dramatic Saturday night win over Danbury was nowhere to be found, as Vermont limps into a three-game homestand having won just one of their last five games.

Facing Vermont right-hander Joe Jacques, who had yet to allow an earned run in 11 innings, North Adams struck for three runs on three hits in the first inning. The Mountaineers never caught up, as SteepleCats starter Peter Lannoo and three relievers held them in check. Reliever Brian Stepniak retired all six batters he faced to earn the win. 

Doubles plays were a main reason the Mountaineers scratched across just three runs -- running their season total to 53, an average of just 3.5 a game. They grounded into four, three of which ending the inning and two prevented them from getting to SteepleCats pitching. 

Dustin Shirley drove in the game's first run with a RBI double, Edward Haust singled in a run off of Jacques glove and C.J.Price added a one-out RBI groundout. The SteepleCats got three more runs the rest of the game, but two were unearned. The only earned one came on a solo home run from Keaton Wright, his NECBL-leading fifth of the year. That came on reliever Christian Isbell's second pitch, as he was greeted rudely. 

Vermont had three errors in the loss, costing two runs. An overthrow on a relay in the third and an error on the shortstop resulted in a pair of SteepleCats runs. It's been frustrating to watch Vermont's defensive woes, as they've accumulated 33 errors and 25 unearned runs in 15 games. They lead the league in defensive miscues, ranking last with a .941 fielding percentage.

The Mountaineers scored twice in the fourth, via a Slade Heggen fielders choice and a Daniel Little RBI single. They added a run on a passed ball in the sixth, but were quiet down the stretch. 

They dropped to 3-12, four games out of a playoff spot. There's a three-team logjam in the North for the final spot, so Vermont has some work to do to make it an interesting race.