MANCHESTER, N.H. – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats have held first place in the Eastern League’s Eastern Division for all but a handful of days this season, but they do not hold that spot after Saturday’s results.
Just a few minutes after Trenton defeated Reading 3-0 in New Jersey, the Fisher Cats concluded a 3-0 loss to the Hartford Yard Goats, giving Trenton a one-game lead atop the division with two games left in the season for both teams.
Although Hartford and New Hampshire both concluded the night with ten hits, where those hits landed proved to be the difference, as Hartford received a two-run home run to right from Roberto Ramos in the fourth and another one heading reaching the Sam Adams Bar and Grill in left in the ninth courtesy of Omar Carrizales.
Eight of Hartford’s nine batters collected at least one hit while Carrizales and Roberto Ramos got two on the evening.
Meanwhile, New Hampshire only managed to put two runners on third throughout the entire course of the night, despite a 3-for-4 night from Jon Berti and two-hit nights from Bo Bichette, Forrest Wall and Santiago Espinal.
On the mound, the win went to Frank Duncan, scattering six hits and two walks over his six-inning start. Tayler Saucedo got the loss for New Hampshire, also going six innings while allowing eight hits and a walk with four strikeouts to his name.
With the result, Duncan climbs to 3-4 while Saucedo falls to 4-5. Mitch Horcacek retired the side in the ninth for his second Eastern League save of the year.
The loss marked the fourth time New Hampshire’s been shut out this year, a fate they will look to avoid in the third game of the series at 1:35 p.m. on Sunday.
There, Jon Harris (11-5, 4.63 ERA) takes the mound for New Hampshire against Hartford’s Ryan Castellani (7-8, 5.40 ERA).
Trenton holds the tiebreaker over New Hampshire in head-to-head play this year, so if the Fisher Cats lose on Sunday, Trenton clinches home field advantage in the divisional playoff series. Even if the Fisher Cats win, they can still clinch home field with a win against Reading on Sunday evening.
Whoever holds home field advantage will host the first two games of the divisional playoff series on Wednesday and Friday nights, respectively.
