EL1 New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Fisher Cats can't get by Defenders

Published on June 18, 2008 under Eastern League (EL1)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release


Manchester, NH- Travis Snider extended his hitting streak to a season-high 11 games with a first inning single, and Scott Richmond moved into third place in the Eastern League in both strikeouts (79) and innings pitched (82.2), but the Connecticut Defenders blanked the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 9-0, before 3,577 fans at Merchantsauto.com Stadium on Wednesday night.

Defenders' starting pitcher Joey Martinez held the Fisher Cats to two hits over seven shutout innings to notch the win. Martinez (4-5) struck out four and walked one, retiring the final 16 batters he faced. The right-hander has pitched 19 consecutive scoreless frames over his last three starts and has not allowed an earned run over his last 32 innings, lowering his Eastern League-leading ERA to 1.73.

Jason Waddell and Ronnie Ray each pitched a scoreless inning of relief to hand New Hampshire (25-45) its first home shutout loss of the season.

Connecticut (32-37) parlayed two Fisher Cats' errors into three unearned runs against Richmond (4-8) in the top of the fifth inning to take a 3-0 lead. After Eddy Martinez-Esteve (2-for-4, 2B, R) led off the inning with a single, Richmond recorded back-to-back strikeouts and induced a ground ball from Jake Wald. But Ryan Klosterman committed a throwing error on the play, allowing Martinez-Esteve to score.

Kyle Haines (3-for-5, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 R) followed with a single to left field that skipped by Snider for an error, allowing Wald (0-for-4, R) to score all the way from first. Antoan Richardson (2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI) capped the inning with a run-scoring single to center, plating Haines.

The only earned run off Richmond came on a solo home run from Adam Witter, his ninth, a towering fly that just cleared the wall down the rightfield line in the top of the sixth inning, giving the Defenders a 4-0 lead.

Richardson's first home run of the season, a two-run blast that struck the videoboard in right-centerfield, highlighted Connecticut's four-run seventh inning against right-hander Bubba Nelson. Dave Maroul (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R) doubled and scored on Haines' single before Nelson, making his Fisher Cats' debut, served up the Richardson homer. Witter (1-for-4, HR, SF, 2 RBI) added a sacrifice fly off reliever Daryl Harang.

Maroul doubled off Julio Pinto in the top of the eighth inning and scored on Haines' single, staking Connecticut to a 9-0 lead. The Fisher Cats and the Defenders play the rubber game of their three-game series Thursday night at 7:05pm. Right-hander Robert Ray (1-0, 1.29) makes his Merchantsauto.com Stadium debut for New Hampshire against Connecticut righty Adam Cowart (5-4, 3.54). Radio coverage begins at 6:45pm on the WGIR Fisher Cats Radio Network with Bob Lipman and Mike Murphy.

Thursday night is Mass Mutual/Shaughnessy Financial Disability Awareness Night at Merchantsauto.com Stadium. Fungo the Fisher Cat celebrates his fifth birthday, and there will be an Atlas Fireworks Show. For tickets, call (603) 641-2005 or visit www.nhfishercats.com.

Check out the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Statistics

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Eastern League Stories from June 18, 2008


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