Connecticut beats New Hampshire, 6-5, in 13 innings
September 3, 2009 - Eastern League (EL1)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release
Norwich, CT- Adrian Martin struck out a season-high seven batters over six innings, and Tim Collins tied a franchise record by fanning seven batters out of the bullpen, but the Connecticut Defenders erased a 5-0 deficit to knock off the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 6-5, in 13 innings on Thursday night at Dodd Stadium.
With two outs and the game tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 13th, Brett Pill (3-for-6, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB) doubled to deep center off Zach Dials, allowing Brock Bond (3-for-7, R), who singled, to score the winning run from first base.
Dials (1-4) allowed just one run on two hits, with one strikeout and one walk, in two innings to absorb the loss.
Mitch Lively (3-0) provided a season-high 3.2 innings of scoreless relief, registering five strikeouts and scattering two hits to earn the win.
New Hampshire (63-75) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first against Geivy Garcia when Todd Donovan (1-for-6, SB, R) singled, stole his 35th base, took third on a fly out and scored on Nick Gorneault's ground out.
The Fisher Cats added two more runs in the third when David Cooper (2-for-6, RBI) and Brad Emaus (2-for-4, 2 BB, RBI, R) delivered RBI singles to increase the lead to 3-0.
The lead ballooned to 5-0 in the fifth. Scott Campbell (1-for-5, BB, 2 R) walked and, with two outs, Connecticut (81-56) opted to have Garcia intentionally walk Emaus, which backfired when Darin Mastroianni (1-for-6, 3B, 2 RBI) raked a two-run triple to right.
Connecticut began mounting its comeback in the sixth inning when Pill tagged his 16th home run of the season off Martin, a solo shot that broke up the shutout and reduced New Hampshire's lead to 5-1.
Martin departed after going six innings, allowing a run on six hits with a walk.
The lead was extinguished altogether in the seventh when the Defenders erupted for four runs on six hits against relievers Wil Ledezma (0.2 IP-2 ER-2 H) and Danny Farquhar, tying the game 5-5. Mike Mooney (1-for-4, HR) led off the inning with a pinch-hit homer, his sixth. Two outs later, Connecticut strung together five consecutive hits, including Pill's RBI single, an infield run-scoring single by Josh Phelps (2-for-4, RBI) and a game-tying single by Brandon Crawford (2-for-6, RBI), with all three hits coming off Farquhar (1.1 IP-2 ER-4 H).
Collins was masterful in 2.2 scoreless frames, allowing two hits and one walk, becoming only the fourth reliever in team history to notch seven strikeouts, and the first since Jamie Vermilyea on April 30, 2008.
The Fisher Cats open their final series of the season, a four-game set at Hadlock Field against the Portland Sea Dogs, on Friday night at 7:00pm. New Hampshire left-hander Luis Perez (9-11, 3.66) gets the start for the Fisher Cats against Sea Dogs' left-hander Felix Doubront (8-6, 3.37). The BayRing Pre-Game Show begins at 6:45pm on the WGIR Fisher Cats Radio Network with Bob Lipman.
Fisher Cats 2010 Season Tickets are on sale now by calling (603) 641-2005 or visiting www.nhfishercats.com.
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Eastern League Stories from September 3, 2009
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