Dessereault’s Blast Powers Spinners Past Lake Monsters in 10-9 Thriller

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Monday night at LeLacheur Park delivered an absolute classic as the Lowell Spinners weathered a furious late-game rally to edge out the league-leading Vermont Lake Monsters 10-9 in Game 3 of their series.

Entering the contest, the stat sheets were heavily tilted. Vermont rolled into Lowell boasting jaw-dropping numbers, particularly from Zack Geerstma, who carried a staggering .476/.500/.952 slash line after a massive Sunday performance—and Elias Huber (.313/.452/.398 with 11 RBIs). Jake Dunlap also had a four-hit night. Meanwhile, Quinn Murphy continued to anchor the Spinners’ offense as the team’s most reliable bat, hitting .250/.317/.357.

On the mound, Lowell turned to Danny Ditullio for his fifth appearance of the summer (4.70 ERA in 7.2 IP), while Vermont countered with Luke Fithian, making just his second start of the season with a pristine 0.00 ERA.

Early Blunders and the Small Ball Battle

The Lake Monsters struck first in the top of the second inning, capitalising on a Lowell miscue. After Zack Geerstma singled to center with one out, a fielding error by Spinners second baseman Ryan O’Leary on a ground ball from Patrick Sharke allowed Geerstma to cross the plate, giving Vermont an early 1-0 lead.

Fithian was untouchable through two scoreless frames before Vermont turned to reliever Reed Stygies in the third. Lowell finally cracked the scoreboard against Stygies in the bottom of the fourth. Jack Quigley drew a walk, setting the stage for Nic Lembo, who laced an RBI triple just inside the right-field line. Quigley never hesitated, rounding the bases hard to tie the game at 1-1.

The Fifth-Inning See-Saw

The game erupted into chaos in the fifth. Ditullio ran into immediate trouble for Lowell, giving up a double to the left-field wall to No. 9 hitter Tyler Wiltsey, followed by a Bryan Richman infield single to first. With runners on the corners, Spinners Manager Kevin Graber pulled the plug on Ditullio, turning to Reed Heigle.

Danny Ditullio’s Final Line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO

Heigle did an admirable job limiting the damage, allowing just one run on a Jake Dunlap groundout to put Vermont ahead 2-1 halfway through.

But Lowell answered right back in the bottom of the frame against Vermont’s new reliever, Albert Slavino. The Spinners rocked Slavino for three runs on three hits. Lembo came through again with an RBI single up the middle, and a secondary run scored on a costly throwing error by Slavino himself, vaulting Lowell ahead 4-2.

The Six-Run Explosion

The lead didn’t last long. In the top of the sixth, Vermont manufactured a comeback against Heigle and reliever Josh Bryant. After Richman drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the deficit to one, Bryant gave up another bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 4-4. Jake Dunlap then collected his third hit of the night, driving home Wiltsey to reclaim a 5-4 lead for Vermont.

Then came the bottom of the sixth, and the Lowell offense completely erupted.

The Spinners sent batters to the plate in waves, stringing together a massive 6-run inning. The definitive blow came off the bat of Esteban Dessereault, who launched an opposite-field grand slam home run over the left-field wall. It was Dessereault’s third blast of the summer, turning a tight game into a 10-5 Lowell cushion.

Standing Tall in a Nail-Biting Finale

True to their status as the league’s top team, the Lake Monsters refused to go quietly. In the seventh, Vermont scratched across two runs with the help of a fielding error by Lowell’s Bratspis, closing the gap to 10-7.

In the top of the eighth, facing Lowell reliever Zano Elias, Vermont kept swinging. Elias Huber lined a clutch, two-run single to center field, suddenly making it a breathless 10-9 game.

Manager Kevin Graber immediately called on Anthony Mateo to extinguish the fire. Mateo escaped the eighth-inning jam and returned to the mound for the ninth to close things out. With the tying and go-ahead runs standing on base, Mateo dialed up his best stuff, striking out Dunlap to end the ballgame and secure a thrilling victory.

Winning Pitcher: Josh Bryant (2-1)
Losing Pitcher: Brady Lane (3-1)
Save: Anthony Mateo (2nd of the season)

Looking Ahead

After the game, a proud Kevin Graber praised his squad’s resilience against elite opposition. He noted how much he loved the team’s “compete level” tonight.

When asked to reflect on the first 30 games of the season, Graber was candid:

“It was a little ugly at first. But little by little, it has gotten better.”

With the win, the Spinners (10-20) will look to carry this momentum onto the road for their next two games. Meanwhile, the Lake Monsters (18-10) will look to regroup after a rare stumble.