EL1 Reading Fightin Phils

Bossart's Big Night Gives Fightins Much Needed Win

Published on June 2, 2018 under Eastern League (EL1)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


(Reading, PA) - After dropping the first game of their four game series against the Flying Squirrels in 10 innings on Friday night, the Fightin Phils showed the kind of resilience that defined their strong end to the month of May. Trailing by a run in both the eighth and ninth, Austin Bossart had a night to remember and helped carry the Fightins with a game-tying home run in the eighth and the game-winning single in the ninth. With their first walk off victory of 2018 in the books, the Fightin Phils (23-30) evened the series at a game apiece before a boisterous Saturday night crowd of 7,270 at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The tone was set early by starting pitchers Ranger Suarez and Chase Johnson, who are on their respective teams' 40-man rosters and looked the part for the early portion of the evening. After trailing for most of game one, the Fightins got on the board first thanks to a two-out rally in the third that started with an opposite field single by Suarez. A passed ball got him to second, and Malquin Canelo brought him home with an infield single back up the middle on a play where Suarez never stopped running and scored standing up behind an attempted tag.

With Johnson on an innings limit, Flying Squirrels reliever Mike Connolly got the first call from the bullpen in the home fourth. Singles by Zach Green and Darick Hall put runners at the corners, and a double play off the bat of Jan Hernandez brought in a run without an RBI for a 2-0 lead.

Suarez was scoreless until the top of the sixth when Connolly led off with a double and Ali Castillo reached safely on a bunt single. Miguel Gomez made it a 2-1 game on a sacrifice fly to center field, and after a single by shortstop Ryan Howard, Suarez got the last two outs no problem. He'd end his night with a 1-2-3 top of the seventh, finishing things off with just 77 pitches while hanging on to a 2-1 lead.

Pinch-hitter Luigi Rodriguez got the job done when he led off the eighth with a double off Edgar Garcia to put the tying run in scoring position. Two pitches later, Castillo hit just his second homer of the season for his third hit of the night and a 3-2 Flying Squirrels lead. This is where Bossart took over, and it didn't take him long when he led off the bottom of the inning with his third home run to re-tie the score at three.

The ninth inning was quite busy for both teams with Richmond getting a run off Garcia on a Matt Lipka single with two outs. Reading then went to work against hardthrowing righthander Caleb Simpson, who put the leadoff man on when Green slid under a tag at first after an errant throw from Howard at short. After a wild pitch, Hernandez tied the game at four with a one out double inside the left field line. With first base open and two outs, pinch-

hitter Kyle Martin was intentionally walked and Bossart came through again with a single into left to end the ballgame and give the Fightin Phils a much-needed 5-4 win.

America's Classic Ballpark is proud to be a part of Pennsylvania's Americana Region. Season tickets for the 2018 season are available online at Fightins.com, by phone at 610-370-BALL, and in-person at FirstEnergy Stadium. Follow the Fightin Phils on Twitter at @ReadingFightins and like them on Facebook via www.facebook.com/fightins.

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Eastern League Stories from June 2, 2018


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