Burlington, Vermont – The Scrappers built a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning but Vermont came from behind and Mahoning Valley fell, 7-6.
In the first, Lake Monsters starter Tyler Vail walked four straight batters to make it 1-0 Scrappers. Cody Elliott drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Mahoning Valley added a run on an error to take a three-run lead.
Vermont scored one in the first and two in the second to tie it before Alex Lavisky’s two-run double in the third put the Scrappers up 5-3. In the fifth, Lake Monsters outfielder Bobby Crocker hit a three-run home run to give Vermont a 6-5 lead.
The home run ended Rob Nixon’s night and stopped his winning streak at five straight starts. Mahoning Valley tied the game in the sixth at 6-6, but Vermont scored a run in the bottom of the sixth off reliever Nate Striz. He picked up the loss to fall to 3-4.
In the ninth, the Scrappers put runners on the corners with two outs, but reliever Jeff Urlaub retired Todd Hankins to end the game. Lake Monsters reliever Drew Bailey picked up the win to improve to 4-0. Urlaub earned his fifth save of the season.
Mahoning Valley fell into third place in the division after Auburn’s game at home was rained out and Williamsport won against Tri-City. Mahoning Valley is 1.5 games back in the division and one game back in the Wild Card race.
The Scrappers and Lake Monsters conclude their three-game series on Friday night at 7:05 p.m.
Courtesy: Mahoning Valley Scrappers
