Manchester Ink Link is simulating the entire 2020 New Hampshire Fisher Cats season this month as we wait for the real baseball to return.
Today we enter Week 3: the conclusion of the April in our imaginary season. The Fisher Cats enter the week 5-8, with three of those wins coming against the red-hot Trenton Thunder.
In case you missed it, here’s are stories on the pre-season, Week 1 and Week 2.
All game information comes from Out of the Park Baseball ’21
Thursday, April 23 – Binghamton 5, New Hampshire 2
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Thomas Pannone gave up three Binghamton home runs, providing the Rumble Ponies four of the five runs in their series opening victory.
Carlos Cortes and Desmond Lindsey added singles to their dingers, with Blake Tiberi adding the other homer.
Pannone has now allowed seven home runs in the two appearances since his demotion from Triple-A Buffalo last week.
At the plate for New Hampshire, Logan Warmoth and Chavez Young each collected two hits, with Young’s double scoring Warmoth in the second, with Young bringing Warmoth home again in the seventh.
Christian Williams also added a double, his second in as many days.
Friday, April 24 – Binghamton 4, New Hampshire 3 (11 inn.)
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Carlos Cortes was the hero at NYSEG Stadium on Friday night, scorching a 1-1 pitch to right center, providing a walk-off win for the Rumble Ponies.
The Fisher Cats struck early, with a Josh Palacios double setting up a run in the first, with Kevin Vicuña’s double in the fifth scoring Ben Revere and Forrest Wall.
Fisher Cat Starting pitcher Sean Reid-Foley lasted seven innings, leaving in the eighth without recording an hour. Tristan Archer came in to get New Hampshire out of the inning, but not before his two inherited runners scored.
The ‘Ponies sent the contest to extra innings thanks to a bases-loaded walk by Sean Wymer in the ninth.
Despite Ben Revere’s leadoff double in the top of the tenth, Binghamton Reliever Taylor Bashlor notched a pair of strike outs, striking out the side in the eleventh to extinguish New Hampshire’s final opportunity.
Revere and Wall added singles along with their doubles, with Forest Wall and Alejandro Kirk each grabbing a pair of walks.
Reid-Foley gave up just three hits in what would be a no decision, walking four and striking out seven.
Saturday, April 25 – New Hampshire 4, Binghamton 3 (12 inn.)
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – A second night with extra-innings, but this time the Fisher Cats emerged victorious thanks to the bat of Christian Williams.
Williams took an 0-2 fastball over the right-centerfield fence, his second dinger of the year and his second hit of the night.
Josh Palacios also went deep for the ‘Cats, a sixth-inning blast off Binghamton Starting pitcher Michael Gibbons.
Brock Lundquist only needed a homer to complete the cycle, grabbing a single in the first, a double in the fourth and a triple in the sixth.
Fisher Cats Starting pitcher Patrick Murphy pitched five scoreless innings, leaving two outs into a sixth inning that saw Binghamton tie the contest at three apiece.
Murphy was on hook for only one of those runs, with Kevin Vicuña’s throwing error from short allowing the other two runs to occur.
Chandler Shepherd went one batter over the minimum in the 11th and 12th to climb to 1-1 on the year.
Sunday, April 26 – New Hampshire 6, Binghamton 2
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – A four-run second inning gave the Fisher Cats enough to leave the Empire State with a series split against Binghamton.
Eight men reached the plate in that inning, with Forrest Wall’s leadoff double in the third setting the stage for another run.
New Hampshire’s other run came in the eighth, with Kevin Smith coming home from second off a sharp grounder by Mac James that turned into a 5-4-3 double play.
Anthony Kay (3-0) punished his former teammates, giving up just two hits and one run over seven innings of work for New Hampshire.
Christian Williams went 4-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a double during the second-inning rally. Forest Wall also had a double during his 2-for-5 day with the Fisher Cats also getting doubles from Brock Lundquist and Deiferson Bareto.
Monday, April 27 – New Hampshire 5, Hartford 3
HARTFORD, Conn. – The Fisher Cats won their third straight on Monday, exacting indirect vengeance on Hartford hurler Jesus Tinoco.
The Fisher Cats notched six hits off the Venezuelan righty, just as they did ten days ago in Manchester. And while Tinoco left with only three earned runs off Fisher Cat bats, one run fewer than that earlier victory, the Fisher Cats’ pair of runs in the seventh broke the deadlock permanently.
Chavez Young, Kevin Vicuña and Forest Wall finished the game with two hits each for New Hampshire while Young, Wall, Ben Revere and Alejandro Kirk recorded doubles.
Louis Coleman was the winning pitcher, climbing to 1-1 on the year for his work in sixth and seventh innings.
Sean Wymer retired the side in the ninth to pick up his fifth save of the year.
Tuesday, April 28 – New Hampshire 4, Hartford 1 (15 inn.)
HARTFORD, Conn. – Josh Palacios’ three-run homer gave New Hampshire the victory in a contest that seemed like it would never end.
New Hampshire had seven pitchers take the mound, keeping the Yard Goats scoreless for 13 innings after Willie Abreu’s second inning home run.
Forest Wall tied things up in the eighth, coming home off Riley Adams’ pinch hit single.
Palacios also entered as a pinch hitter, with his game-winning homer coming on his second at-bat, the 56th of 57 Fisher Cat at-bats on the night.
Alejandro Kirk and Ben Revere went 3-for-6 with Revere and Chavez Young also collecting doubles in the win. Kevin Vicuña collected two hits but also had four of the 19 strikeouts accumulated by Fisher Cat batters on the night, tying a franchise record set on July 24, 2006 against Harrisburg.
The game was 11 minutes short of becoming the longest game in franchise history, set on Aug. 13, 2010 in Altoona.
Thomas Pannone scattered five hits and a pair of walks in his start for the Fisher Cats, striking out six Yard Goats over six innings. Brett Cecil recorded three outs over the 15th and 16th innings to climb to 1-0 on the year, Graham Spraker retired the final two Hartford batters for his first save of the year.
Wednesday, April 29 – Hartford 4, New Hampshire 3
HARTFORD, Conn. – The Yard Goats avoided the sweep thanks to a pair of eighth-inning runs off Fisher Cats reliever Tristan Archer.
Archer (0-1) recorded just one out in his first blown save of the year, spoiling a strong seven-inning start by Sean Reid-Foley.
Reid-Foley’s only mistake of the day came in the fourth when Alan Trejo hit a two-run blast, his third homer of the year. Christian Williams’ double in the seventh spearheaded a rally that cut Hartford’s lead in half, and Riley Adams’ double in the eighth sparked a two-run eighth inning for the ‘Cats that would have put Reid-Foley in line for the win.
Williams had two of New Hampshire’s 11 hits on the day, with Alfredo Silverio also adding a pair of hits.
The Fisher Cats finished April undefeated on Sundays and Tuesdays and winless on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Batter of the Week: Ben Revere – Revere’s 12-game hitting streak ended on April 23, but the former big leaguer remained hot, hitting .300 (10-for-30), bringing his season slash line to .333/.357/.444
Pitcher of the Week: Sean Reid-Foley – Reid Foley didn’t get a decision in his two starts this week, but pitched a strong 14 innings, giving up four runs off five walks and seven hits with 14 strikeouts.
