Manchester, NH – Jordan Groshans ripped two doubles and Maximo Castillo logged his first quality start of the year as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays Double-A affiliate) beat the Reading Fightin Phils (Philadelphia Phillies) 3-1 at Delta Dental Stadium on Sunday to earn a series split.
Groshans finished the day 2-for-4 with a pair of two-baggers and an RBI. Castillo (W, 7-2) tossed six innings, allowing three hits and one run while striking out four and walking two.
The Fisher Cats (31-37) jumped ahead early against Fightin Phils starter Francisco Morales (L, 2-8) and never looked back.
Austin Martin led off the first inning with a walk, and two batters later, Otto Lopez singled to put runners at the corners with nobody out. LJ Talley followed with an RBI infield single to put New Hampshire ahead 1-0.
Groshans, who entered the day with a .973 OPS in the month of July, then ripped an RBI double to left to make it a 2-0 Fisher Cats lead. Samad Taylor capped the inning with an RBI single against Morales (5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K) to up the edge to 3-0. Taylor has now reached base in 34 consecutive games.
While Reading (29-43) scored one run in the third on an RBI single by Logan Landon, Castillo cruised the rest of the way.
Sean Rackoski (1.1IP, 1H, 1K), Brody Rodning (0.2 IP, 1 BB, 1 K) and Jon Harris (1.0 IP, 0 H) combined to shut the door, with Harris picking up his second save of the year with a perfect ninth.
Following the off day on Monday, New Hampshire will begin a six-game series at Portland (Red Sox) on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
