EL1 Reading Fightin Phils

Goats Get Out of Town with 6-4 Win

August 8, 2019 - Eastern League (EL1)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


(READING, PA) - Thursday night's homestand finale at FirstEnergy Stadium nearly ended the same way Wednesday night's did: with fireworks in the bottom of the ninth. The Fightin Phils got the tying runs into scoring position against Scott Griggs, who was the losing pitcher in the Fightins sixth straight win the night before. This time around, Griggs got even with two strikeouts to preserve the 6-4 win, and the Yard Goats denied Reading from its 70th win of the season before 7,157 at America's Classic Ballpark.

With Major League rehabber Jerad Eickhoff tabbed to start the first three innings for Reading, the Yard Goats set the early tone with an RBI double three batters in from Tyler Nevin. A few batters later, Bret Boswell bashed his second three-run homer of the series, pushing the lead to 4-0 before the R-Phils ever came to bat.

In comeback mode all night, the offense got going in the bottom of the third against 'Goats starter Antonio Santos. With one out, leadoff hitter Luke Williams extended his hitting streak to eight straight with a hard single into left field. Following a two-out walk to Mickey Moniak, Alec Bohm continued his impressive homestand with a hard single the other way to right to cut the deficit to 4-1.

After Eickhoff finished his night with three hits and a walk allowed plus three strikeouts, the originally scheduled starter Colton Eastman took over. He struck out the first two batters he faced before Chris Rabago lined a homer out to left to push the Hartford lead back to four.

The R-Phils had the answer in the home half, loading the bases with one out for Williams after Jose Antequera singled and Jack Conley walked before Eastman's sacrifice bunt failed to produce a force out at third. Williams' sacrifice fly made it 5-2, and Arquimedes Gamboa singled in a run two pitches later to get the Fightin Phils within a pair. It soon became a one-run game in the bottom of the fifth, courtesy of Josh Stephen's second home run in as many nights, giving the outfielder nine for the season.

Eastman mowed the Yard Goats down, racking up two strikeouts in each of his first four innings through the seventh. He nearly got the lead in the bottom of the inning when the Fightin Phils loaded the bases on a leadoff single from Gamboa and a pair of walks, but lefthanded reliever Mitch Horacek got an inning-ending double play to keep the Yard Goats ahead 5-4.

In the top of the eighth, they tacked on a run when leadoff hitter Manuel Melendez opened the inning with a bunt single. A sacrifice bunt and a walk followed, but Eastman was aided by a caught stealing to get the second out. On a 1-1 pitch, cleanup hitter Luis Castro came through with a single up the middle to score Melendez and push the lead back to two at 6-4.

The R-Phils resilience continued in the bottom of the eighth when they put two runners on base with a pair of walks, but Jordan Foley shut them down by accumulating three strikeouts in the inning. In the ninth, Bohm singled and Stephen followed with a one-out double, but Griggs got even with back-to-back strikeouts to keep the tying runs in scoring position and end the ballgame.

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 August 8, 2019


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