EL1 Reading Fightin Phils

Bohm makes Fightins debut in thrilling 11-8 win in extras

Published on June 21, 2019 under Eastern League (EL1)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


(Portland, ME) - Trying to avoid a sudden three-game losing streak with a long stretch of games leading into the All-Star break, the Fightin Phils pulled off one of their defining wins of the season in Friday night's series opener at Hadlock Field. After Reading took a 7-1 lead in the top of the third, the Sea Dogs came back with six in the home half to tie it before C.J. Chatham's double off the Maine Monster gave them an 8-7 lead in the fourth. That score held for most of the night until Darick Hall's game-tying single in the bottom of the eighth forced extras. In the tenth, the Fightins came away with three runs and more impressive bullpen work from Seth McGarry and Jonathan Hennigan gave them an 11-8 win in front of 7,080.

Josh Stephen led off the game with a double, and later came around to score on a two-out infield single from Grenny Cumana. The Sea Dogs soon tied it in the second when first baseman Joey Curletta led off with a moonshot home run over the videoboard in left center field.

In his second Double-A at-bat, Phillies top prospect Alec Bohm reached on a fielding error by Chatham at shortstop. A walk to Hall and Cumana's second single loaded the bases for Cornelius Randolph, who carried his hitting streak to eight straight with a flare into left field for a 2-0 lead. Austin Bossart's walk made it 3-1, and two-RBI base hits via a Luke Williams double and a Jose Gomez single stretched the lead to 7-1.

Portland shockingly came back with a six-run bottom of the inning, with seven straight reaching before Luke Tendler hit into an inning-ending double play. Five hits, a hit by pitch, and an error contributed, with Tate Matheny's two-RBI double and Brett Netzer's two-RBI single tacking on the last four runs to tie the score at seven. With two outs in the fourth, Chatham doubled high off the Maine Monster in left to score Jeremy Rivera after a single prolonged the inning, giving the Sea Dogs an improbable 8-7 lead.

One of the main stories of the night was the long relief work of Reading's Seth McGarry and Portland's Daniel McGrath. McGarry, in his return from Triple-A, tied a season-high with four scoreless innings while surrendering just a pair of singles and a walk. McGrath countered with three-and-two thirds of hitless relief, with the Fightins only baserunner coming when Stephen reached on an error in the sixth inning.

The Fightin Phils comeback attempts were turned aside when they stranded the tying run at second base in both the sixth and seventh. In the eighth, Raul Rivas led off with a crucial at-bat that ended in a hit by pitch from Durbin Feltman to put the tying run at first. He later stole second, and after Bohm worked a walk, Hall smoked a game-tying single with two outs for his league leading 50th run batted in and the Fightins first hit since the third inning.

Both teams went in order in the ninth to bring about extra innings, where the Fightins came in with a 7-3 mark, including a perfect 4-0 record on the road. With Williams on at second as the starter runner, Rivas led off again with his first triple to right field to break the 8-8 tie. A wild pitch from Matthew Gorst made it 10-8, and after a one-out triple from Stephen, Hall delivered the nail on the coffin with another hard RBI single into right. Hennigan (1-1) then calmly finished off two perfect innings of relief with three flyouts in a five-pitch bottom of the tenth for the win.

America's Classic Ballpark is proud to be a part of Pennsylvania's Americana Region. Season tickets for the 2019 season are available online at Fightins.com, by phone at 610-370-BALL, and in-person at the Weidenhammer Ticket Office at FirstEnergy Stadium. Follow the Fightin Phils on Twitter at @ReadingFightins, Instagram at @fightins, and like them on Facebook via www.facebook.com/fightins.

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Eastern League Stories from June 21, 2019


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