Lynn, MA - The Vermont State University Lyndon baseball team completed its weekend in Massachusetts with another pair of non-conference games against the University of Maine at Augusta and Fisher College. A day after the Hornets knocked off UMA and fell to Fisher, the script flipped. Lyndon couldn't hold onto an early lead and fell to UMA, but they held off Fisher to split the day and the weekend. Lyndon moved to 4-8 on the season, while UMaine-Augusta is now 10-22 and Fisher is 10-12.
Game 1 - UMaine-Augusta 9, VTSU Lyndon 5
The Hornets started fast with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Caesar Cisneros (Little Elm, TX) reached on an error. Cisneros came all the way around to score when Tredell Blow (Yorktown, VA) reached on an error and UMA made a second miscue on the play. Eyon Tembreull (Vergennes, VT) followed with a triple to deep right field, driving in Blow. Matt Doherty's (Gardner, MA) sacrifice fly then brought Tembreull home.
The Moose got on the board in the top of the third inning when Amar Douidi doubled leading off and later scored on Elias Murray's infield hit. UMA drew within one in the top of the fourth when Gavin Abernathy tripled with one out then scored on Will Henderson's double.
The Moose pulled even in the top of the fifth inning. John Nawfel walked leading off. Murray's sacrifice bunt moved Nawfel to second and Davis Kibler's hit moved him up another base to third. Matt Donley's sacrifice fly drove in Nawfel to tie the game at 3-3.
Lyndon regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Cisneros beat out a bunt to get things started, then moved to second on a wild pitch.Blow singled through the left side of the infield, scoring Cisneros to make the score 4-3, Hornets.
UMA plated another run in the top of the sixth inning to again tie things. With two outs, back to back to back singles from Cash Bizier, Douidi, and Nawfel evened things at 4-4.
The Moose took their first lead of the game in the top of the seventh inning. Donley singled with one out, then Jacob Plamondon doubled, putting runners at second and third. Donley scored on a wild pitch, then Henderson's sacrifice fly brought home Plamondon to give UMA a 6-4 lead.
Lyndon got one run back in the bottom of the fifth inning when Blow drew a leadoff walk, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Matt Gonyeau's (St. Albans, VT) double.
That would be as close as the Hornets would get, as UMA tacked on three more runs on three hits in the top of the eighth inning. Meanwhile, Lyndon would go down in the eighth and ninth without scoring, allowing the Moose to come away with the win.
Donley started on the mound and picked up the win for UMA, allowing five runs, two earned, over 6.2 innings of work. Plamondon earned the save after pitching 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. Lyndon starter Nathan Bigelow (East Hampton, CT) took the loss after allowing six runs over 6.1 innings.
Game 2 - VTSU Lyndon 3, Fisher 2
In the weekend finale, the host Falcons broke in front with an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning. Armando Torres reached on an error leading off. He stole third, then scored when Yariel Salinas reached on another Hornet error.
Lyndon would pull even in the top of the third inning when Tembreull laced a one out triple, then scored on Cisneros' base hit.
The Hornets would take the lead in the top of the fourth inning. Gonyeu reached on an error leading off. He moved to second on a wild pitch, then to third on Jack Daicar's (Kingston, ON) base hit back up the middle. Gonyeau scored when Jess Seaton (Yorkville, IL) grounded out.
Things would stay that way, as neither team was able to break through over the next two and a half innings. Then in the top of the seventh, Jeren Harrison (Charlotte, NC) drew a leadoff walk. After Tembreull was hit by a pitch, Cisneros bunted into a fielder's choice. Ryan Alt (Poultney, VT) came through with an RBI single, driving in Tembreull and extending the Lyndon lead to 3-1.
Meanwhile UMA was kept at bay by Lyndon reliever Tyler Kimball (Vergennes, VT). Kimball replaced starter Gonyeau in the second inning and put up zeros on the scoreboard for the next six innings.
After Kimball picked off the leadoff runner, Corey Deziel worked him for a walk. Daniel Peralta then grounded into a fielder's choice and was lifted for pinch runner Gilbert Gomez. After Maxwell Urena walked, Gabriel Rivera singled to center, scoring Gomez. However the Hornets gunned down Urena trying to go from first to third to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth inning Fernando Verde singled with one out. One out later he was replaced by pinch runner Adrian Colon. An errant pickoff throw allowed Colon to move over to third. With the tying run just 90 feet from home, Kimball was able to get John Batista to foul out to end the game and give Lyndon the win.
Kimball Pitched the final eight innings in relief to pick up the win. He scattered six singles and struck out three batters while walking five. Fisher starter Kevin Cancel took the loss after allowing two runs, one earned, over six innings.
The Hornets will travel to Middlebury College on Wednesday for another non-league game. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 pm.
