Game 26 Recap: Mountaineers 7, Swamp Bats 5

Vermont catcher Ryan Fineman homered and has heated up as of late for the Mountaineers.

The Vermont Mountaineers showed a bit of resiliency -- against their opponent and the road atmosphere that has plagued them all season.

After falling behind 5-1, Vermont scored six unanswered runs to knock off the Keene Swamp Bats, 7-5. It's the Mountaineers first win on the road since June 19th and just the second all season, and it improved their record to 4-1 against the rival Swamp Bats this season.

Ryan Fineman went 2-for-4 with a decisive three-run home run in the sixth, taking a 6-5 lead with one swing of the bat. Joe Tietjen added a two-run shot in the fifth, his third home run of the season. Vermont relievers Sam Bordner and Chandler Sedat combined to throw five scoreless innings, shutting down a Swamp Bats offense and protecting a narrow two-run lead.

Fineman is working on a three-game hitting streak for Vermont, a promising sign after a slow start to the summer. He's raised his average to .215 and has driven in five runs over the last three games, going 4-for-12. The Mountaineers already have a deep lineup, but Fineman heating up is a welcome sight to see. It's expected from the Indiana product, who hit .268 in 54 games for the Hoosiers and was on the All-Freshman Big Ten team.

Bordner threw three innings in middle relief, scattering two hits and a walk while striking out three. Sedat, meanwhile, extended his scoreless innings streak to 15 1/3 innings to start the summer. The right-hander recorded his first save, striking out four and walking just one over two innings. His dominance has been unrivaled — he's struck out 19 and allowed just eight baserunners.

Vermont starter Joey Rocchietti threw four innings, giving up five runs, two earned, on six hits. Keene jumped out to a three-run lead in the second, using two hits and a pair of errors. Lucas Luopa reached and then scored on the two errors, while Brandt Stallings added a two-run double. They struck for two more in the fourth, scoring via RBI singles from Luopa and Joshua Shaw.

Vermont struggled early against Keene starter Tommy Doyle, the starting pitcher for the Northern Division All-Star Team. They eventually pushed across a run in the fourth via a Troy Scocca RBI single. Doyle exited after 4 2/3, allowing one earned run on two hits while striking out seven.

The Swamp Bats bullpen struggled, allowing five runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. Tietjen homered in the fifth, followed by Fineman's go-ahead shot in the sixth that made it 6-5. Vermont tacked on an insurance run in the ninth as Daniel Little scored on a passed ball.

Keene needed five different relievers to go the rest of the game, with Mike Crimi taking the loss, having given up both home runs.

Bordner earned the win in relief, while Sedat picked up the two-inning save. It was a big win for Vermont, who sit at 11-15 entering a three-game series against last-place Upper Valley (10-17). With a road doubleheader today followed by a home game, the Mountaineers are in good position to surge into the All Star break. The Nighthawks are on a three-game skid and have dropped nine of their last 10.