EL1 Reading Fightin Phils

Baysox Keep the Bubbly on Ice

Published on August 27, 2019 under Eastern League (EL1)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


(READING, PA) - Needing a win and a Yard Goats loss in either game of their doubleheader against the Senators to clinch a second-half playoff spot, the Fightin Phils missed on their first chance on Tuesday night at FirstEnergy Stadium. In a well-pitched game between Colton Eastman and Zach Lowther, both starters went toe-to-toe in a possible Eastern League Championship Series preview. With the game tied for most of the night, the Baysox strung together three straight hits to score a pair in the eighth, with Brett Cumberland's homer and Cedric Mullins' double proving to be the difference in a 3-1 win that tied the series at a game apiece.

The teams switched roles after the R-Phils 4-2 win in the opener on Monday night. In the bottom of the first, Alec Bohm ripped a double down the right field line, and Darick Hall scored him with a hard single into left on an 0-2 pitch. Cornelius Randolph made it three straight hits with a single into right, but Lowther locked it in and allowed just one more hit for the rest of the night. Over six innings he struck out eight, and lowered his earned run average to 2.66, good for the third-lowest mark in the Eastern League.

Eastman's only true hiccup came in the top of the second, when he walked catcher Carlos Perez to start the inning. That proved to be costly, and with two outs, Mason McCoy ripped a two-out triple just beyond the reach of a diving Mickey Moniak in center field. Like Lowther, Eastman controlled the game for the rest of his six innings, allowing just one more hit while striking out six to drop his ERA to 1.88 over his first five Double-A appearances.

The game remain tied until there was one out in the eighth inning, when Cumberland lined his fourth home run to left off Jonathan Hennigan (3-4). Preston Palmeiro continued the inning with a hard double into the left field corner, and scored just two pitches later when Mullins hit a two-bagger off the left field wall.

Reading's two best chances came in the sixth and seventh. During Lowther's last inning, Hall hit his league-leading 38th double to left-center, leaving him one shy of tying the franchise's single-season record. Randolph reached on a four-pitch walk, but Nick Maton's hard smash to second resulted in an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. Facing Steve Klimek (2-1) in the seventh, Jose Gomez and Luke Williams got on courtesy of a walk and a hit by pitch. Again, a groundout ended the inning, and Cristian Alvarado earned a two-inning save after striking out the side in the ninth.

America's Classic Ballpark is proud to be a part of Pennsylvania's Americana Region and was voted the #1 stadium in all of Double-A by MiLB's Ben Hill. Follow the Fightins on Twitter at @ReadingFightins and like them on Facebook via www.facebook.com/fightins. Purchase tickets TODAY, call or TEXT 610-370-BALL, and download the Fightins game and promotional schedule at fightins.com/calendar.

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Eastern League Stories from August 27, 2019


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