Davis' 5-RBI night starts off six game homestand with a 7-1 win

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After a brief road trip to Brooklyn, the Lowell Spinners returned to LeLacheur Park on Monday night to start a six-game homestand. Division foe, the Vermont Lake Monsters, were first up. As the Spinners returned home, they do so with the best fifteen-game mark in team history at 11-4. It is the second time in their history that they began the season with this mark and Lowell has been very good against their division opponents going 7-1 as this series got underway.

Bryan Lucas got the ball for the Spinners and making his first appearance in the New York Penn League, Jack Cushing was on the mound for Vermont (8-9). Both pitchers got off to good starts as they help hold the other team’s lineup to a combined one hit and three base runners thru two innings. Vermont did put a threat together in the third. However, with runners at first and second and two down Lucas got Jordan Diaz to hit into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

The Spinners broke through in the fourth vs Cushing. Back to back walks to Elih Marrero and Wil Dalton and a wild pitch during Dalton’s at-bat got things started. Joe Davis was the next hitter and on a 0-1 count, he crushed a fastball off the scoreboard in left for his first professional home run. The three-run shot gave the Spinners a 3-0 lead after four innings.

Cushing was relieved after four (2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO) and was replaced by Carlos Sanchez in the fifth. Lucas’ night came to an end after five innings. His line, (5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO), was pretty good. Lucas was replaced by Jeremy Bleich to begin the sixth. In the seventh, Bleich pitched himself into trouble. A leadoff walk to Yerdel Vargas was followed one out later by a single to left by Jose Rivas sending Vargas to second. A base on balls to Nick Osborne loaded the bases with one out. Number nine hitter, Michael Woodworth, then brought home Vargas with a sac fly to right field to make it 3-1 Spinners. It might have been worse if not for a nice defensive play in left by Marino Campana who tracked down a line drive off the bat of Shane Selmon to end the seventh.

Lowell (12-4) got that run back in their half of the seventh. With one down, Nick Decker singled to center field. With Antoni Flores at the plate, Decker stole second base and advanced to third when the pitch sailed to the backstop for a wild pitch. Decker would then score on a safety squeeze bunt by Alex Erro. 4-1 Lowell.

The Spinners added to their lead in the eighth. Vince Coletti, on the hill for Vermont, gave up a leadoff double to Marrero to left center field. He moved to third on a base hit to right by Dalton. They would both score on a booming double to the gap in left center by Davis. It was part of a five RBI, two hit night for him. Davis crossed the plate after moving up to third on a ground out. Decker singled to left to cap off a three-run eighth to expand their lead to 7-1.

The Spinners bullpen took care of things on their end to give the team a good start to the homestand with a 7-1 victory over Vermont. Lucas got the win (1-0) and Cushing took the loss (0-1). After the game, Davis said his first home run “felt good” When asked about the pitching in Penn League, Davis said, ” guys threw a lot harder than in college and the ability is pretty close”. Manager, Luke Montz, was happy to get the homestand off to a good start with the win. He praised Lucas on his start by saying he was “outstanding” and “one of the hardest workers on the team” On Davis’ big night he said “we were trying to get him comfortable. His first couple of starts he was pressing just a bit too much”.

The Spinners will look for two in a row in this series as game two takes place on Tuesday night with first pitch at 7 pm.