LOWELL — Hunter Strickland, Kyle Weiland and Alex Hale combined to allow just three hits, but one of those three was a lead-off home run in the top of the 10th inning, propelling the Vermont Lake Monsters to a 1-0 victory over the Lowell Spinners in front of the standard 5,030 fans last night.
Lowell's pitching staff continued to stymie opposing batters, striking out nine more batters and walking just two to bring their season strikeout-to-walk ratio to 53:8. After pitching in relief on opening night, TD Banknorth Player of the Game Strickland earned the start and pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, striking out five on just 53 pitches.
Vermont (2-3) pitching however went pitch-for-pitch with Spinners, striking out 11 Spinners batters, also allowing just three hits. Reliever Carlos Peralta (1-0) picked up the win for the Lake Monsters, pitching three innings of hitless relief.
Lowell's (3-2) bats remained relatively quiet early in the season, getting hits from Will Middlebrooks, Ricardo Burgos and Mitch Dening.
The Lake Monsters, who had just one hit through eight innings, came up with the biggest hit of the game when Robby Jacobsen, inserted into the game as a pinch-runner in the eighth inning, took an Alex Hale (0-1) offering over the right-centerfield wall, to give the Lake Monsters a 1-0 lead.
Lowell concludes their six-game opening home stand this afternoon with New England Patriots Day, with Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski for a 5:05 start. Gostkowski will return to LeLacheur to kick autographed footballs into the stands, courtesy of Electrical Wholesalers, and kids run the bases after the game, courtesy of Outback Steakhouse. Brock Huntzinger (1-0, 0.00) is scheduled to make his second start of the season.
Pride 4, Rapidz 2
Nashua Pride left fielder Dennis Abreu hit his fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot in the first inning, which was all Nashua needed to take a victory over the Ottawa Rapidz, 4-2, in front of 2, 748 fans at Holman Stadium.
Abreu ended the night 3 for 4, adding a double and a stolen base to his tally. First baseman Bryan Duplissie drove in the Pride's fourth run of the game, belting his fourth homer of the season in the fifth inning. Pride Starting pitcher Nicolas Suero earned the victory and improved to 2-2 on the season.
Sea Dogs 7, Fisher Cats 0
Kris Johnson fired 61/3 scoreless innings to lead the Portland Sea Dogs (40-32) to a 7-0 victory over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in Manchester.
Brandon Magee (0-10) suffered his league-leading 10th loss for the Fisher Cats. Johnson, a lefty, improved to 3-2 and has a 1.02 ERA in his last three starts.
Jeff Corsaletti was 3 for 4 for Portland and Bubba Bell started the scoring in the third inning with a solo home run and had a run-scoring double in the eighth.
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