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| Ryan Stekl (Canisius) willed the Muskrats to victory with two clutch its. |
Vermont's bullpen faltered on Friday night, losing a two-run lead, as reliever Morgan Maguire gave up a two-run home run to Ryan Stekl in the eighth -- then allowed a walk-off single to the Canisius junior in the bottom of the ninth. It was a disappointing loss for the Mountaineers, who had a solid lead entering the final two innings of play. It evened their record at 1-1 to start the season.
Top Play (WPA)
Once again, it's pretty easy to guess which one this is. Stekl's game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning (.426) sealed the deal for the Muskrats, their first win since changing their franchise name to Winnipesaukee. It was one of two huge hits for Stekl, who also tied the game with one swing in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run bat. He finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a run.
Three Notes
1. Quality pitching -- This is a broad note, clearly, but both teams got a lot of good pitching. One standout was Muskrats reliever Jackson Tetrault (State Col of Florida Manatee-Sarasota). Tetrault entered in the seventh and tossed a pair of 1-2-3 innings, striking out five of the six batters he faced. Even more impressive, Tetrault entered and faced off against the top of the Mountaineers lineup. Vermont starter TJ Santiago (Adelphi) was solid over four innings. The lone blip was a leadoff home run he allowed in his last inning of work, but Santiago struck out six and didn't issue a walk. Reliever Culver Lamb (Old Dominion) bridged the gap to the late innings with three good innings. Lamb allowed a lone unearned run, but only gave up one hit and a pair of walks while striking out four.
2. Strong offense -- Vermont second basemen Jeremy Giles showcased some pop by launching a pair of solo home runs. After going 0-for-2 in the season opener with a walk, Giles homered in his first at bat, then launched one with two outs in the sixth. Middle infield teammate Michael Osinski had another strong game for the Mountaineers, going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs. Osinski also swiped a base to follow up his 2-for-4 night against Upper Valley, making him 5-for-8 (.625) through two games.
3. Aggressiveness on the basepaths -- Not even sure if this needs to be included as a note about a Joe Brown baseball team, but the Mountaineers are up to their usual ways. Vermont went 3-for-3 on the basepaths Friday night, running their total up to five in two games. Last season, Brown's Mountaineers swiped 100 bases in the regular season, and they're already set to come close to that again. They have plenty of speed, as David Lett has a stolen base in both games, while players like Osinski and Daniel Little both have potential.
Up Next
Vermont is on the road -- just a 45-minute trip, though -- to take on Upper Valley for the second time this season. The first game was quite the matchup, as the Mountaineers eked out a 2-0 win behind stellar defense, strong pitching, and timely hitting. Upper Valley sends Dakota Edwards to the mound. Edwards is a returning NECBL All-Star after playing in North Adams last season, and he hurled a no-hitter in his first start for the SteepleCats.
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