MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com -BURLINGTON, VT --- The Vermont Lake Monsters used a four-run fifth inning and 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief from Gary Amato to snap a Mahoning Valley seven-game winning streak with a 6-2 victory over the Scrappers in New York-Penn League action Friday night at historic Centennial Field.

Mahoning Valley took a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in top of the fifth inning on a Casey Frawley RBI double and Dwight Childs RBI single off Vermont starter Matt Swynenberg, but the Lake Monsters responded with the four runs in the bottom of the inning.

Ronnie LaBrie, who had three singles in his first three at bats, led off the inning with a single to center and scored on a Francisco Soriano RBI triple to rightcenter. Soriano, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games with the triple, then tied the game when he scored on a Sean Nicol sacrifice fly.

J.R. Higley extended his own hitting streak to nine games with an RBI single later in the inning to score J.P. Ramirez and Vermont added an unearned run on a throwing error by catcher Childs on a pickoff attempt for a 4-2 lead.

Amato (1-1), who had come on in relief of Swynenberg with one out in the fifth, gave up one hit with three walks and eight strikeouts in his 3 2/3 scoreless innings for the win. The eight strikeouts are the most by a Lake Monsters reliever this season.

The Lake Monsters added single runs in the seventh and eighth innings, including a Destin Hood RBI triple in the seventh. Soriano and Ramirez both scored twice for Vermont, while Hood had his second two-hit game as a Lake Monster.

Scapper starter Brett Brach (2-2) allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts over five innings to take the loss, while Jose Urena gave up two runs (one earned) in three innings of relief for Mahoning Valley (31-18).

The win moved Vermont back to the .500 mark at 24-24. The Lake Monsters have now five of their last nine games, alternating between a win and a loss each time to fall one game below .500 and then back to the .500 mark.

Vermont and Mahoning Valley will play second of the three-game series at Centennial Field on Saturday night with Graham Hicks schedule to start for the Lake Monsters. Saturday is also Jason Bay Bobblehead Night sponsored by FairPoint Communications. The first 1,000 fans will each receive a bobblehead of the 2000 Vermont Expos outfielder.

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