Eastwood all Wright for Murphy, Monsters

July 6, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

NILES

Sean Murphy feels right at home at Eastwood Field.

Never mind the fact that he has never played at the ball park as a member of the home team.

Through all types of weather, and for different teams at different levels of play, the former Wright State player has enjoyed his stops in Niles.

On Tuesday, Murphy and his Vermont Lake Monsters won their second straight road game over the Scrappers, this one a 7-0 victory in front of 1,522 fans.

Vermont (10-9) broke open a close game with back-to-back three-run innings. Scrappers starter Luis Jimenez entered the night with a 10.56 ERA, but turned in a solid outing. He gave up just one run through five innings on a home run to Lake Monsters designated hitter Eric Martinez.

However, the Scrappers bullpen wasn’t able to contain the Vermont offense.

Scrappers reliever Dace Kime worked just one-plus inning and faced 11 batters, surrendering six runs on six hits.

Meanwhile, the Scrappers were limited to just four base hits.

“We kind of found our offensive groove,” Murphy said. “Often times in baseball, once one guy gets a solid hit, it sets off the rest of the offense.”

Murphy was selected by the Oakland A’s in the third round of the June draft. The Dayton native and Centerville High School graduate recently finished his junior year at WSU.

While in college, Murphy made three trips to Eastwood Field. Wright State was victories in all three visits over Youngstown State. In April, Murphy went 3-for-7 with 2 RBI and three runs scored in a doubleheader sweep.

On Tuesday, Murphy broke open a close game with a two-run hit in the sixth. He also showed off his defensive skills on several occasions.

“This is the first time I’ve been here where it wasn’t cold, where it didn’t either snow or rain,” Murphy said. “I like this place. I feel comfortable here.”

“Playing here [as a pro], it’s certainly a different environment than when I played here against Youngstown State. Even as a visiting team, you kind of feed off the energy of the crowd and the excitement they create.”

Murphy is batting .294 with a home run and four RBIs.

“It’s quite an adjustment, playing every day, doing a lot of traveling and such,” Murphy said. “It’s challenging, but it’s a lot of fun. The biggest adjustment is the mental aspect of the game. Physically, I feel as though I am holding my own.”

Meanwhile, the Scrappers (4-15) are off to the worst start in franchise history. They have yet to win back-to-back games, and have not yet claimed a series win against any opponent.

“As a group, everyone is working together every day to make ourselves better and to make this team better,” said Scrappers outfielder Todd Isaacs. “I think the pressure we put on ourselves is sometimes a hindrance, but we know we have work to do and we need to keep pushing forward.

“It’s definitely a challenge right now, but it’s our job to fight on. We’re here to improve and to develop as individuals but at the same time we want to succeed as a team.”

The teams conclude their three-game set tonight.