A pair of late home runs proved to be the difference on Tuesday night as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats defeated the Reading Fightin’ Phils, 5-2.
Both teams scored early, with Jonathan Davis breaking the deadlock in the seventh with a two-run shot toward the railroad tracks beyond the rightfield fence.
Tim Lopes added another two-run shot an inning later.
Reading’s Mitch Walding would add another home run in the ninth, but the Phils wouldn’t get any closer, as Dusty Isaacs struck out the next two Reading batters to earn his second save of the year.
With the ninth inning blast, Walding brought his league leading home run total to 22, two more than Erie’s Christin Stewart. He also brought Reading’s league leading team home run total to 111, exactly 50 more homers than the Fisher Cats.
Jon Harris (5-9) got his first win of the year against Reading, recording 75 strikes in his season high 112 pitch performance.
He lasted seven innings allowing just four hits and a walk to Zack Coppola in the sixth. Conversely, he struck out seven Reading batters, tied for a personal season high he posted on May 29, also against Reading.
Tyler Viza (6-7) got the loss, allowing three runs off nine hits in seven innings of work. Although the outing was Viza’s first loss of the year against the Fisher Cats, it still wasn’t his worst performance of the year against New Hampshire, having allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings of work against the Cats at home on May 21.
Malquin Canelo recorded his 15th multi-hit game of the year for Reading, going 2-for-3 at the plate, while Davis and Lopes combined for half of New Hampshire’s ten hits.
Making it to double digits has become something of a success barometer for the Fisher Cats this season, as one would expect, with New Hampshire now having gotten 22 of its 38 victories when obtaining 10 or more hits against their opponent.
The Fisher Cats will conclude their series against the Fightin’ Phils with a Wednesday 12:05 matinee.
Shane Dawson (2-9, 6.04 ERA) takes the mound for New Hampshire against Reading’s Ranti Casimiro (1-2, 2.89 ERA).
