HARTFORD, Conn. – Good hitting, good pitching and a good start for the 2018 New Hampshire Fisher Cats, marking the beginning of their campaign with a 6-0 victory over the Hartford Yard Goats on Thursday.
New Hampshire loaded the bases in the first, couldn’t get on the board until the third. That’s when doubles from the Fisher Cats’ “juniors” (Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.) served as a catalyst to give the game its first run.
The ‘Cats would score in four of the next five innings, putting up three runs in the fifth.
Every Fisher Cat starter except for Bo Bichette had a hit in the contest, although Bichette’s walk and stolen base helped him score one of the three runs in that fifth inning rally.
Gurriel Jr., Cavan Biggio and Connor Panas ended the night with two hits each and Gurriel Jr. and Biggio also each grabbed two RBI a piece.
It was also a good ensemble effort from the Fisher Cats pitching staff, with Francisco Rios turning the page from an injury-prone 2017 campaign with five strikeouts in four innings of work.
Rios left after 68 pitches, but the Fisher Cats continued to hold the Yard Goats at bay with strong pitching from Justin Shafer, Craig Breslow, Dusty Isaacs and Jose Fernandez.
Shafer (1-0) earned the win for his four outs immediately following Rios’ departure while Hartford starter Jack Wynkoop (0-1) got the loss.
The two teams return to Dunkin’ Donuts Park on Friday at 7:05 p.m. with New Hampshire’s Jordan Romano (7-5, 3.39 ERA with Dunedin in 2017) facing Hartford’s Ryan Castellani (9-12, 4.81 ERA for Hartford in 2017).
