EL1 Reading Fightin Phils

Fightins Take Two from Cats, 6-4 and 3-1

Published on July 19, 2019 under Eastern League (EL1)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


(READING, PA) - The Reading Fightin Phils extended their winning streak to a season-high five games after taking a pair from New Hampshire, 6-4 and 3-1 on Friday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Luke Williams rapped a career-high five hits in game one, finishing with three doubles, two singles, an RBI and a run scored.

Game one featured the completion on Thursday night's suspended game, which resumed with Reading up 1-0 and nobody out in the bottom of the first inning. With runners at the corners upon resumption, Cornelius Randolph grounded into double play, but that permitted Jose Gomez to score and make it 2-0 Reading.

The Fisher Cats (10-19) (41-55) answered in the second after Colton Eastman entered to make his Double-A debut. Logan Warmoth led off with a walk, stole second, and scored all the way from second base on a slow-developing grounder off the bat of Chad Spanberger.

Reading (20-9) (59-37) got that run back in the second, after Henri Lartigue drew a leadoff walk against Brad Wilson and scored on Williams' two-out RBI double. New Hampshire rallied again in the top of the third, plating a run on an error and taking a 4-3 lead on Spanberger's two-run single.

Darick Hall greeted reliever Dany Jimenez (2-2) in the bottom of the fourth inning with a drive deep over the wall in right for his 16th home run of the season, tying the ballgame at four. After a one-out walk to Austin Bossart, Josh Stephen doubled and Lartigue put Reading back on top with a sacrifice fly.

Bossart extended the advantage in the fifth, launching his fourth home run of the week and seventh of the season to put Reading up 6-4.

Eastman (1-0) racked up nine strikeouts in five innings of work. The right-hander permitted four runs - just one earned - on four hits and three walks in the win.

Jakob Hernandez tossed two scoreless in relief, and Addison Russ worked a perfect ninth for his 15th save.

Gustavo Armas hurled four scoreless innings in his first Double-A appearance in game two, limiting New Hampshire to just one hit and two walks while picking up a pair of strikeouts.

The Fightins struck in the bottom of the third inning of game two, when Jose Antequera walked and Williams singled to open the frame against Nate Pearson (0-3). Both advanced on a soft grounder from Mickey Moniak, and Alec Bohm's chopper to third plated Antequera to give Reading a 1-0 lead.

The score held until the Fightins grabbed some breathing room in the fifth. Hall cranked a two-out double to deep left, and Randolph was hit by a pitch from reliever Vinny Nittoli. Josh Stephen brought them both home, ripping a double to the track in left to put Reading up 3-0.

The Fisher Cats grabbed a run off Garett Cleavinger (2-0) in the sixth on a Warmoth RBI grounder, before Jonathan Hennigan struck out the side in the seventh to earn his second save.

The Fightins and Fisher Cats meet for game three of the four-game set on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. David Parkinson will take the hill against Justin Dillon, and the game will be broadcast on 610 ESPN and the Fightins radio network starting at 6:15 p.m.

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 July 19, 2019


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