Game 25 Recap: Schooners 6, Mountaineers 2

Vermont's eight-game home winning streak was snapped by Mystic on Monday night.

With their bats finally catching up to their hitting over the past few games, Vermont faltered in the finale to a four-game homestand, committing three costly errors and leaving eight runners on base in a 6-2 loss to the visiting Mystic Schooners.

In a rematch of last year's NECBL finals, the Schooners scored a run in four consecutive innings, including a two-run fourth. They continued to hit the ball incredibly well, piling up 13 hits to win their second straight and move just a game back of the Ocean State Waves in the race for first place in the Southern Division.

Vermont rapped out nine hits, but baserunning blunders and some sloppiness on defense proved too much to overcome. They left the bases loaded and struck out 11 times, the highest total since their fifth game of the season, when they fanned 13 times against Winnipesaukee. The Muskrats lost Monday night, as did the last-place Upper Valley Nighthawks, so Vermont doesn't fall in the standings. They still sit 3 1/2 games back of first.

However, this loss will sting. The Mountaineers had a golden opportunity to win their fourth straight, wrapping up a perfect homestand that would've pushed them to just 2 1/2 back. Instead, old issues cropped up and the Schooners rolled to an early 6-0 lead and hung on.

Mystic starter Kevin Magee turned in a strong start, striking out eight over 5 2/3 while scattering seven hits and a walk. He allowed two earned runs, surrendering both of them on a RBI single to Ryan Fineman in his last batter of the night. Magee was arguably left in too long. He threw 104 pitches, and was cruising all the way until two outs in the sixth.

He was backed by a strong offense. Vermont starter Sean Callahan threw five innings after entering with just five innings under his belt this summer, and he gave up five runs, three earned. The Schooners jumped ahead against him thanks to a pair of errors from middle infielders Michael Osinski and Jeremy Giles in the second, leading to a RBI groundout from Scotty Bradley.

With a lineup featuring five All-Stars, the Schooners offense kept grinding. Nick Mascelli brought in a run with a single in the third and Ryan Ramiz followed the next inning with a RBI single. A throwing error on Vermont catcher Slade Heggen trying to catch a runner taking third brought in another run, Ramiz easily trotting home as the throw rolled to the bullpen.

Richard Slenker added a RBI single in the fifth, and CJ Moore capped the scoring with a single against Mountaineers reliever Fitzpatrick Stadler. Stadler threw four strong innings of relief, scattering three hits and a walk while striking out two.

Fineman's two-run single got Vermont on the board in the sixth. They had a big chance in the eighth against reliever Matthew Ardente, but baserunning cost them.

Daniel Little led off the inning with a single, then advanced all the way to third on a misplay in the outfield. Troy Scocca grounded one right back to Ardente, who looked to third and found Little cheating too far off the base. Ardente sprinted at him and tagged him out for the inning's first out.

A batter later, Keegan Meyn doubled to left. Scocca, however, pulled up at third base, much to the chagrin of manager Joe Brown. Scocca failed to pick up that Ramiz misplayed the ball in left, and was slow in getting the throw in. By the time Scocca realized, it was too late, and Vermont missed a big chance.

Brown sent Scocca when Jeremy Giles flew out to right, but CJ Moore displayed a strong arm in throwing him out by several feet.

It was a tough inning and a tough loss for the Mountaineers, who'll attempt to bounce back on the road tonight. They're facing the Keene Swamp Batas, who split a double-header with the Southern Division leading Waves last night. Vermont's had success against Keene thus far, going 3-1. They're also looking for just their second win on the road this summer, entering just 1-10.