Game 36 Recap: Bay Sox 3, Mountaineers 1

Vermont's Michael Fairchild went 7 2/3 in his longest start of the summer. 

With another opportunity to reach .500 sitting right in front of them, the Mountaineers came up short. Looking to even their record for the first time since June 10th, the second game of the season, Vermont faltered in a 3-1 loss to New Bedford in the last of a five-game road trip.

A two-run double from Bay Sox catcher Jakob Goldfarb in the eighth was the decisive blow, breaking up a 1-1 deadlock. New Bedford starter Sam Nepiarsky scattered a run and five hits over 7 2/3, striking out eight, and All-Star closer Darrien Ragins stranded a runner on second with back-to-back strikeouts to finish off his seventh save.

It was a game with plenty of fireworks, as Nepiarsky was ultimately tossed alongside pinch-runner Robbie Doring during an eventful eighth. With one out, Andrew Penner singled to right with Doring on second, who attempt to score. He was thrown out easily by Troy Scocca but collided with Mountaineers catcher Ryan Fineman at the plate.

Both players ended up jawing at each other, with Nepiarsky — who had finished his night in the prior inning — came storming in and shoved a player. During and Nepiarsky were ejected, which will prove costly for the Bay Sox. Attempting to fend off the Danbury Westerners for the fourth spot in the Southern Division playoffs, Nepiarsky has been their ace and will miss a potentially pivotal start.

Nepiarsky was lights out early, retiring 11 straight Mountaineers after a one-out single in the first. The Bay Sox took a lead off of Mountaineers starter Michael Fairchild in the fifth, as he hit Ted Shaw with two outs and back-to-back singles from Danny DiMare and Alex Mata brought him in.

Vermont was able to answer, however, as Jeremy McCuin led off the sixth with a double off of Nepiarsky. He moved to third on Trevor Ezell’s sacrifice bunt and scored on a groundout from Will Morgan. It was the lone run the Mountaineers would manage against New Bedford’s pitching staff, however.

They couldn’t make the most of a leadoff double from Joe Tietjen in the seventh, as he was thrown out after breaking early on the pitch and sliding into third as the shortstop hauled in a pop-up. McCuin singled and Ezell was hit by a pitch with two outs in the eighth, chasing Nepiarsky, but reliever Matthew Leon induced a flyout to escape the jam.

Raigins, an All-Star closer, worked around the heart of Vermont’s order. Tietjen reached second on a throwing error, but he hunkered down and struck out pinch-hitter Slade Heggen and Jeremy Giles to end the game.

Vermont’s Fairchild was a tough luck loser, allowing three runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out six. After a pair of ejections, Fairchild ran into two-out trouble. He walked Connor Hoover to put two on for Goldfarb, who doubled  in both runs. It appeared the throw from Keegan Meyn in left easily beat Hoover, but he was ruled safe in a controversial call for the insurance run.

That chased Fairchild, with reliever Christian Isbell getting the final out and stranding a runner on second.

The loss is the second time in Vermont’s last eight games they’ve had had a chance to climb back to .500 but haven’t been able to. They were 14-15 entering a pair of home games last week but dropped three straight. A trio of wins on the road had them poised to erase all memories of the 2-11 start, but the Bay Sox sneaked by.

Still, it’s not all bad for Vermont. Keene dropped a doubleheader with North Adams, giving the Mountaineers a 1 1/2-game cushion for the fourth playoff spot. The SteepleCats built a two-game lead over Vermont for the third spot.

Tonight’s game against Upper Valley is big for a variety of reasons. The Nighthawks, after dropping nine of 10, have rebounded to go 5-5 and sit just 2 1/2 out of fourth place in a late season comeback. It’s a big opportunity for the league’s expansion franchise to gain ground in a semi-rivalry, so expect plenty of fireworks.