MANCHESTER, NH – Despite a season-high three home runs from the Fisher Cats (19-20), the Hartford Yard Goats (25-15) came away with a back-and-forth, 10-inning win on Friday night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. A 10th-inning sacrifice fly from Rosell Herrera proved to be the difference in a 5-4 Yard Goats victory.
Entering the game without a multi-homer game in 2016, the Fisher Cats scored all four of their runs via the longball. Dwight Smith, Jr. hit his first of the year in the second inning, a low liner over the right-field fence. In the fifth inning, Jorge Flores skied his first big fly of the season to left, and Rowdy Tellez crushed a two-run blast off the scoreboard in right center.
New Hampshire’s power helped overcome a four-run fifth-inning from Hartford. Casey Lawrence tossed four scoreless frames to start the night, but a walk, four singles and a sacrifice fly gave the Yard Goats a 4-1 lead. The homers from Flores and Tellez evened the score at 4-4.
The Fisher Cats bullpen held strong through the next four innings, as Brady Dragmire (2 K) and Chris Smith (3 K) each logged two scoreless frames.
Daniel Schlereth (L, 0-2) allowed just one single in the extra inning, but it eventually decided the game. David Dahl rolled one through the middle, moved to second on a groundout, stole third base and scored on Herrera’s sac fly.
Rayan Gonzalez (W, 1-1) stranded a pair of Fisher Cats in scoring position in the eighth inning to keep the score tied at 4-4, and handed the ball to Matt Carasiti (S, 12) to finish off the bottom of the 10th.
Goals were achieved with the help of a great team, staff, fans and friends from WMUR-TV, Friday night with a total of $11,768.28 raised for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.
Game 2 of the three-game set is scheduled for Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. Luis Santos (4-0, 3.19 ERA) will take the mound for New Hampshire against Tyler Anderson (0-1, 0.00 ERA). Captain Jack and the Rogues Armada Pirates will be in attendance, and Atlas Fireworks will follow the game.
