It took a full nine innings, but Batavia (26-27) was able to come through to beat Vermont (24-28) by a score of 4-3.
With the score deadlocked at 3-3, Luis De La Cruz led off the ninth inning with a single. Devin Goodwin followed with a walk. Michael Swinson then put down a perfect sacrifice bunt moving both runners in scoring position. With the potential winning run already on third, the Lake Monsters decided intentionally walk Ryan Jackson, loading the bases. And that was all the Muckdogs needed as Alan Ahmady came up with a sacrifice fly to score the winning run.
Josh Squatrito (2-1, 1.89) picked up the win after entering the game in the eight to record the final out on a strike out. He then proceeded to go 0-2 on each of the three batters he faced in the ninth, striking out all three.
Batavia pitchers notched 16 Ks on the evening.
Batavia jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the 2nd inning. Kyle Conley started the scoring off with a solo homerun to left field. Later, Niko Vasquez and Luis De La Cruz picked up base hits and bases became loaded when Goodwin walked. Swinson then singled to score two.
The Lake Monsters answered with two runs in the 4th and tied things up in the 8th, but the Muckdogs were able to prevail.
Jesse Simpson went four innings in the start, letting in two runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Tyler Lavigne followed him in one inning of work with a strikeout. Justin Edwards filled in the other two and two-thirds innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out five.
Conley finished 2-for-3 with a homerun, double, RBI and run scored. Vasquez and Swinson both went 2-for-4, Vasquez with a double and a run scored and Swinson with two RBI.
