Lake Monsters Stay Hot, Hand Spinners 6-2 Loss as Playoff Push Begins

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On Thursday night, the Lowell Spinners hosted the Vermont Lake Monsters at LeLacheur Park. With just 15 games remaining in the regular season, the Spinners began their final push toward a postseason berth, while hot-handed Vermont entered the contest riding a four-game winning streak.

Hayden Schimoler made his 12th appearance of the season for Lowell, taking the mound with a 7.81 ERA across 27.2 innings. Vermont countered with Chase Burrows, who made his 15th appearance, carrying a 4.50 ERA over 24 innings.

Early Pressure from Vermont

Vermont jumped on Schimoler early in the opening frame. After Bryan Richman kicked off the game with a single to left field and the Lake Monsters eventually loaded the bases, Zach Geerstma drove in the opening run with a sacrifice fly to put Vermont ahead 1-0.

The Lake Monsters doubled their advantage in the third inning. Brad Johnson reached on a fielder’s choice and came around to score on an RBI double off the left-field wall by Geerstma, making it 2-0 Vermont. Geerstma proved to be a thorn in Lowell’s side all night, tallying two hits and two RBIs through the game’s first five frames.

Spinners Battle Back

Lowell answered in the bottom half of the third inning. Jack Quigley launched a triple to right-center field, setting up Cam Biller, who blooped an RBI single to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Schimoler ran into trouble in the fourth after loading the bases with one out. Spinners manager Kevin Graber called upon relief pitcher Mikey St. Martin out of the bullpen. Although a wild pitch allowed a run to cross, St. Martin limited the damage by getting Jake Lopez to ground into an inning-ending double play, keeping the score at 3-1.

Lowell made it a one-run game again in the bottom of the fourth. David Vanderzouwen (2-for-3, 1 RS) singled to left field, stole second base, advanced to third on a throwing error by Vermont catcher Hunter Strohm, and scored on a RBI groundout by Nic Lembo to make it 3-2.

Defense Holds Before Late Insurance

Lowell’s defense stepped up in the fifth inning to stay within striking distance. Three straight hits by the Lake Monsters threatened to break the game open, but Lembo cut down Geerstma at the plate to keep the deficit at a single run.

From there, a pitching duel broke out between both bullpens until the top of the ninth, when Vermont delivered the knockout blow. Facing Lowell’s relief corps, the Lake Monsters plated three insurance runs to extend their lead to 6-2. The key hit came off the bat of James Henshon (2-for-4, 2 RBIs), who ripped a two-run single to center field with the bases loaded.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Spinners were retired quickly by Vermont reliever Francis Comeau to wrap up the contest.

Final Thoughts & Looking Ahead

In front of 4,901 fans at LeLacheur Park, Vermont secured the 6-2 victory, pushing their winning streak to five games.

Following the loss, Spinners skipper Kevin Graber voiced satisfaction with his pitching staff’s effort while offering praise for Vermont’s arms. However, Graber noted that a sharper two-strike approach at the plate was needed, as Lowell hitters struck out 13 times in the contest.

The Spinners now turn their focus toward a critical weekend slate, featuring a matchup against New Britain followed by a Sunday doubleheader against Norwich—a stretch that will play a pivotal role in keeping Lowell’s playoff hopes alive.