Game 30 Recap: SteepleCats 7, Mountaineers 2

Mountaineer Mike Osinski was a bright spot in a tough loss to North Adams.

Entering Tuesday night, Vermont was poised to take over sole possession of third place in the Northern Division. They were one win away from finally reaching .500 after starting the summer 2-11, and losses from Winnipesaukee and Keene at the end of the night would have them a game up on the pair.

It wasn’t in the cards, however. Vermont missed out on several opportunities, and the visiting North Adams SteepleCats piled up 12 hits in a resounding 7-2 victory that once again sets the Mountaineers back.

“They played way better and way harder,” Vermont manger Joe Brown said of North Adams. “They came out and attacked us while we sat on our heels, so they earned a win. That’s disappointing because the opportunity we had in front of us was pretty good, but we couldn’t take advantage of it.”

“It shouldn’t of happened,” he added. “It’s unacceptable.”

Vermont starter Jonathan Stiever gave up four earned runs on seven hits, both summer-highs, and the Mountaineers couldn’t climb out of an early 1-0 hole. The SteepleCats had four doubles and made the most of their chances, getting to one of the top starting pitchers in the league.

North Adams right-hander Peter Lannoo scattered seven singles over six innings of work, allowing a lone unearned run while striking out two. Vermont loaded the bases against him in the second, but he induced an unconventional 5-2-3 double play to escape the jam. A wild pitch after a runner reached on an error brought in the lone run against him, as he worked out of jams in a variety of ways. A two-out single was erased after a caught stealing, and a runner was doubled up after stealing on the pitch and getting caught on a flout.

SteepleCats right fielder Edward Haus went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs, and shortstop Easton Johnson went 2-for-3 with a trio of RBIs and a run scored. Johnson opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the second, then drove in two more runs in the fourth for an early 3-0 lead.

Vermont got a run back in the bottom of the fourth, but the SteepleCats had an answer as well. Nick Riotto doubled with one out, Daniel Holst drew a walk, and Dustin Shirley added another double to bring in a run. That put North Adams up 4-1, chasing Stiever after five innings of work.

Mountaineers reliever Kevin Kernan took over and cruised through his first three innings of work, allowing a lone hit while striking out three. With two outs in ninth, however, his defense let him down. Vermont’s Will Morgan misplayed a ball and it got all the way to the wall, allowing a run to score and the runner to go all the way to third.

Shaken, Kernan issued a walk, then gave up back-to-back singles to Holst and John Mazza that both brought in runs. It was a tough turn of events for Kernan, who had been cruising and ended up getting tagged with three runs.

“I thought he pitched great for us,” Brown said. “Unfortunately, he got stabbed a little bit with just one out to go, but he saved us.”

The SteepleCats trio of Jack Rupe, Andrew Camiolo, and Logan Austin combined for three strong innings in relief. Austin gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth, as Jeremy Giles came up with a RBI groundout, but North Adams still had an easy win locked up.

Rule and Camillo have been two of the league’s top relievers, each with sub-2.00 ERA’s. Camiolo needed just 11 pitches for a 1-2-3 eighth against the heart of Vermont’s lineup.

NOTES: Michael Osinski played first base for the Mountaineers as Mikael Mogues remains out with an injury. Osinski didn’t make an error, and had a nice play and ensuing flip to the covering pitcher in the ninth inning. “He’s unselfish,” Brown said. “He’s a good baseball player and was willing do that to help us, and we appreciated that.”... Osinski had a strong day at the plate as well, going 3-for-4 with a trio of singles to raise his season average to .374. It was his second straight multi-hit game, and he's working on a four-game hitting streak where he’s gone 9-for-13 (.692)... Keegan Meyn, a Player of the Week Honor Roll selection last week, pinch-hit in the eighth inning for Troy Scocca and grounded out on the first pitch he saw. It’s been a slow few games for Meyn, who’s just 1-for-12 over the last three games.

UP NEXT: Vermont welcomes Sanford (19-14), who has won eight of 10 and hold a 1 1/2-game lead on the Valley Blue Sox atop the Northern Division. Winners of two straight, the Mainers blanked Winnipesaukee, 3-0, last night. Southpaw William Tribucher (Michigan) is the Sanford probable starter, set to make his sixth start. He’s 3-1 with a 1.33 ERA over 27 innings, good for an All-Star nod. He’s piled up 28 strikeouts while issuing just 13 walks and allowing 16 hits. Tribucher started the summer with three straight starts of six innings where he didn’t allow an earned run.