EL Hartford Yard Goats

Fernandez Homers in Yard Goats Debut, But Hartford Falls Run Short

Published on June 20, 2023 under Eastern League (EL)
Hartford Yard Goats News Release


Hartford, CT- Yaniquiel Fernandez made a strong impression in his Yard Goats debut by ripping a home run in his third at-bat, but the Yards Goats fell to the Erie Seawolves by a final score of 5-4 on Tuesday night at Dunkin' Park in Hartford. Bladimir Restituyo and Drew Romo each homered as well, and the Hartford bullpen befuddled opposing hitters all night long, giving up just two runs while striking out 11 Erie batters. In total, the Yard Goats and Seawolves combined for 32 strikeouts in the contest.

The Seawolves started off the scoring early with the first batter of the game coming home to score in the top of the first inning. Trei Cruz worked a leadoff walk, and Wenceel Perez poked a single to right field two batters later to put runners on the corner with one out. Three pitches later, a wild pitch ensued, allowing Cruz to score from third and giving Erie a 1-0 lead after one inning.

Erie added on in the second frame, as Chris Meyers pulled a leadoff shot over the right field wall for a solo home run. The next batter, Dillon Dingler, reached base via hit by pitch, but Yard Goats starter Case Williams buckled down and struck out three of the next four Erie batters to keep the Seawolves lead at just 2-0 heading into the third inning.

The Seawolves continued to extend their lead in the top of the third frame, and for the third inning in a row, the Seawolves' leadoff batter would reach base and score. Perez singled to right field before stealing second base and advancing to third on a throwing error. The next batter, Andrew Navigato, hooked a double down the right field line to plate Perez and give the Seawolves a 3-0 advantage.

In the top of the fourth inning, Erie put two more runs up on the board. Cruz led off the inning by reaching first on a catcher's interference. Three batters later, Andrew Navigato connected on a two-run home run over the wall in left field to push Erie's lead to 5-0 after four innings.

The Yard Goats roared back in the bottom of the fifth inning. Drew Romo drew a one-out walk, and after the next batter struck out swinging, Hartford summoned some two-out magic. Bret Boswell mashed a single to right field, putting a man on first and second for Cristopher Navarro, who floated a single into center field to drive home Boswell and cut the Seawolves lead to 5-1 after five frames.

Hartford kept the momentum going in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two outs in the inning, Fernandez smoked a hanging off-speed pitch to the bleachers in right field for a solo home run. Next up to the plate was Bladimir Restituyo, who followed Fernandez's lead by mashing a skyscraper into the bullpen in left field, cutting Erie's lead in half and making it just a 5-3 Seawolves advantage.

Drew Romo injected life into the Yard Goats in the bottom of the ninth inning. With Hartford down to their last out, Romo turned on an inside pitch and yanked it just inside the right field foul pole for a solo home run. However, the Yard Goats' rally would end there, as Erie recorded the last out and handed Hartford a 5-4 loss.

The Yard Goats and Erie Seawolves play the second game of a six-game series on Wednesday night (7:10 PM) at Dunkin' Park. Joe Rock toes the rubber for the Yard Goats after giving up three runs in five-and-a-third innings and striking out three batters in his last start against the Reading Fightin Phils. For Erie, Ty Madden takes the mound searching for his second straight victory after picking up the win in his last start against the Harrisburg Senators. Tomorrow's game will be broadcast on AM 1410, FM 100.9 and on the iheart radio app.

Check out the Hartford Yard Goats Statistics

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Eastern League Stories from June 20, 2023


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