ERIE, Penn. – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats played two extra-inning games on Tuesday, so given their limited experience at UPMC Park, maybe they thought extra-inning games were mandatory there.
Required or not, the Fisher Cats took part in another extra-inning contest on Wednesday, defeating the Erie SeaWolves in ten innings, 10-9.
The contest was a see-saw affair, with the two clubs each getting two runs in the second, with the Fisher Cats ending the third with a 5-3 lead.
Erie tied up the contest again in the fourth thanks to a two-run Jake Rogers home run, but the visitors would rally in the fifth.
There, the ‘Cats added three more runs, powered by Patrick Cantwell’s double off incoming reliever Adam Ravenelle and some quality baserunning from Connor Panas during a fielding error by SeaWolves shortstop A.J. Simcox.
Erie managed to claw back one run in the bottom of the fifth, adding another run in the seventh as well, but they couldn’t tie up the contest a third time until the eighth.
That tying run came in the form of first baseman Josh Lester, moved to third by a sacrifice bunt and brought home on a routine grounder to short by Simcox.
The SeaWolves couldn’t add any more runs before the end of the eighth, as neither side scored again until the tenth.
There, RBI from Panas and Jon Berti gave New Hampshire a lead that Andrew Case narrowly held onto in the bottom of the tenth, despite allowing one run and loading the bases just before the final out.
It was certainly a good day at the plate for both sides, the only starting batter on either team without a hit was Gunnar Heidt, who went 0-for-6.
This was the first time Heidt has gone 0-for-6 in his five year professional career and only the fifth time he has had more than five at-bats in a single game.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Lester and Will Maddox had three hit days for Erie, with Lester joining Panas in recording three RBI as well.
The winning pitcher was Zach Jackson (2-1), allowing hit and two walks during his work in the eighth and ninth.
John Schreiber took the loss for Erie, retiring the side in the ninth and leaving after one out in the tenth, responsible for both of New Hampshire’s extra-inning runs.
This marks the second loss in as many nights for Schrieber (0-5), with his last win coming on Aug. 28, 2017 for the West Michigan White Caps of the Midwest League.
The Fisher Cats don’t return to Erie until 2019, as they now head back to Manchester for a three-game set against Reading set to begin on Friday.
Justin Dillon (1-2, 7.91 ERA) takes the mound for New Hampshire against Reading’s Franklyn Kilome (1-4, 4.66 ERA).
Kilome’s only win this year came against New Hampshire on April 20. Since then his ERA has risen by just under a run, although he’s shown some improvement in tough luck outings over the past two weeks.
This article includes content provided by the Eastern League
