MANCHESTER, N.H. – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats finished this week’s eight-game home stand with a loss on Sunday, falling 9-8 to the Reading Fightin’ Phils.
Nash Knight’s double brought in the first run of the game, bringing Forrest Wall across the plate in the first.
Reading quickly responded with an RBI double of their own, as Luke Williams 22nd two-bagger of the year in the second briefly gave Reading a 2-1 lead.
New Hampshire tied up the game on yet another RBI double, with Wall coming home again in the third thanks to Santiago’s hit to center.
Kevin Smith’s single to right gave New Hampshire another lead later in the inning, but that lead was also short lived.
Reading would tie things up on Henri Lartigue’s solo home run in the fourth, and Mickey Moniak’s second home run in as many days put two more runs on the board for Reading in the fifth.
A passed ball let Darick Hall cross the plate, giving Reading a third run in the fifth.
Luke Leftwich replaced Reading starter Julian Garcia in the seventh, giving up three walks on 28 pitches, leaving the bases loaded for Jeff Singer with no outs.
Sacrifice flies from Santiago Espinal and Vinny Capra each brought in a run, but the Fisher Cats could not retake the lead another time.
Instead, they’d retake it in the eighth on the strength of a five-hit rally, including doubles from Smith, Espinal and Riley Adams.
Reading enacted one last lead change in the ninth, as Moniak came home reduce the deficit to 8-7, while Hall homered to tie things up and Austin Bossart’s single brought Josh Stephen around for the lead.
Although he didn’t register a decision, Garcia lasted six innings, marking the 13th straight game where he’s lasted at least five innings if counting his stint in the Florida State League earlier this year.
Leftwich’s earned runs were also the first he allowed in Eastern League play this year and the first overall since giving up one against Rochester in the International League on June 27.
Ultimately, Aaron Brown (5-4) became the winner-by-default for Reading thanks to his two outs in the eighth. Addison Russ earned his 17th save of the year, shutting down the Fisher Cats in the ninth.
Jackson McClleland (0-2) got the loss and a blown save for allowing the three runs in the eighth.
At the plate, Wall, Espinal and Smith contributed two hits each for New Hampshire, with Espinal driving in three of New Hampshire’s eight runs.
Moniak, Williams and Stephen had two hits apiece for Reading while Bossart finished 3-for-5.
The Fisher Cats return to action on Tuesday in Akron with a 7:05 p.m. contest against the Rubber Ducks.
New Hampshire will send Nate Pearson (0-3, 2.93 ERA) against lefty Adam Scott (4-1, 3.79 ERA).
