EL1 Reading Fightin Phils

Fightins win fourth straight series after downing Squirrels 5-2

Published on June 2, 2019 under Eastern League (EL1)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


(Reading, PA) - The Reading Fightin Phils and Richmond Flying Squirrels got together on a perfect Sunday afternoon in Baseballtown, playing their fourth game in three days after Reading's doubleheader sweep on Saturday night. Using another balanced and overwhelming attack, the Fightins prevailed 5-2, getting two runs batted in from Josh Stephen and Henri Lartigue for their third straight win in the five-game series. With the 18th annual Morning Game fast approaching on Monday, the Fightins (31-21) improved to 10 games over .500 for the first time as they upped their record against the Squirrels (18-35) to 9-3.

For the second time in three starts, JoJo Romero came out of the gate hot, retiring the first eight Flying Squirrels he faced before shortstop Brandon Van Horn singled with two outs in the third. A double from Jacob Heyward got Richmond its first run on a day where the visitors played from behind the entire time.

Reading's two-out rally in the first got them the early lead for the first time in the series as they faced righthander Brandon Lawson for the second time. A Darick Hall double into right and a crucial nine pitch at-bat to Cornelius Randolph resulted in a walk, at which point Austin Listi flared a single into right for a 1-0 lead. A few pitches later, Stephen took a 3-2 offering into left field for his 12th run batted in and a 2-0 advantage.

The lead grew to 3-1 in the bottom of the third when Randolph reached on a one-out single, with back-to-back walks to Listi and Stephen loading the bases for Lartigue. The catcher sent a high flyball down the right field line that was caught by second baseman Jalen Miller, but his throw to the plate wasn't in time with Randolph making a smart baserunning decision to tag from third and score the third run.

Things heated up in the fifth with Romero one out away from absorbing the decision. A single from Matt Winn earlier in the inning got things started, with a passed ball and a debatable balk called on Romero pushing the Richmond catcher to third base with two outs. Van Horn sliced a double into right field on a 1-2 pitch to make it 3-2, but during the play Romero was ejected for arguing with home plate umpire Aaron Higgins. Reliever Jeff Singer entered abruptly, and ended the threat with a strikeout of Heyward to keep the lead intact.

The Flying Squirrels wouldn't get another hit for the rest of the afternoon, with Singer (3-0), Garrett Cleavinger, and Jakob Hernandez combining on four-plus innings of hitless relief. The trio of lefthanders each walked a pair and struck out a pair, with Hernandez working the last two innings for his fifth save with the tying run stuck at the plate.

Stephen led off the home sixth with his fourth home run, a towering blast onto the roof in right field that made it 4-2 against Flying Squirrels reliever Connor Overton. That came on the very first pitch of the inning, and the left fielder stayed perfect at the plate when he reached for the fourth time with a walk in the seventh inning. Hall later led off the seventh with a base on balls, and with two outs, Lartigue ripped a single into right for a 5-2 lead. Every spot in the lineup finished with a hit, with Grenny Cumana extending his R-Phils hitting streak to eight straight with a sixth inning double. At the top of the lineup, Arquimedes Gamboa and Mickey Moniak each finished with two hits.

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 2, 2019


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