Game 5 Recap: Muskrats 8, Mountaineers 5

Winnipesaukee's Ryan Stekl dives back into second after a throw down. /Stefan Hard, TA Photo

Jonathan Stiever was very strong in his second start for the Mountaineers, going five innings again and allowing a lone run. The offense was clicking early, chasing Winnipesaukee starter Denis Lyman after just two-plus innings, and they built a 5-1 lead. The bullpen combination of Christian Isbell and Morgan Maguire, surrendered the lead -- and Vermont dropped their fourth straight by a score of 8-5. Over this skid, the Mountaineers have faltered late in games. Here's what the pitching staff looks like right now:

Vermont starting pitchers -- 0-0, 23 IP, 17 K, 6 BB, 1.17 ERA, 2.97 FIP
Vermont bullpen -- 1-4, 21 IP, 22 K, 10 BB, 5.57 ERA, 3.67 FIP

That's got to be very frustrating for both the Mountaineers starting pitchers and manager Joe Brown. In three of the four losses, the starting pitcher exited with a lead. In the lone exception, the game was tied. Tuesday night's loss was a frustrating one as the offense quickly cooled off and Winnipesaukee worked back into it.

Top Play (WPA)
The biggest play of Tuesday's game came in the eighth inning, when Muskrats No. 2 hitter Jimmy Galusky drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double to the wall in left (+.368). Galusky entered that situation 0-for-4 on the night, but he squared up on a 0-1 pitch from Maguire and lined one in the gap, allowing all three runs to come across.

Notes
There's some positives to take away from the loss for Vermont. Stiever has been excellent, going five innings apiece in his two starts this summer. The Indiana product has allowed just one earned run on four hits over 10 innings, striking out seven.

It was also good to see Troy Scocca have a strong day at the plate. Scocca arrived after Vermont's home opener, and struggled to open the summer on the road. During the three-game swing, Scocca went 0-for-11. He drew four walks in the three games, but really broke out against the Muskrats. He finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs, a double, and a walk. Jeremy McCuin made his debut after coming in late from Arizona State and went 2-for-4, while Mikael Mogues had his third straight multi-hit game, going 3-for-4. Mogues is at .381/.409/.476 and is seven for his last 13 at bats.

Maguire's had two shaky outings to start the summer, both against Winnipesaukee. In his first appearance, he gave up three earned runs over one-plus innings of relief, losing a two-run lead and taking the loss. He worked out of trouble in the seventh last night, but loaded the bases for Galusky in the eighth and ended up allowing four runs over two innings. He's faced 30 batters now, and opponents are hitting .409 against him -- he's walked five and has an inflated 13.50 ERA.