Goats Score Six in the Ninth, Jack Blomgren Crushes Three-Run Walk-off Home Run
June 22, 2023 - Eastern League (EL)
Hartford Yard Goats News Release
Hartford, CT- With one-out and two men on base in a 9-7 ballgame in the bottom of the ninth inning, Jack Blomgren capped off a six-run ninth inning for the Yard Goats by smashing a three-run walk off home run to right field, as Hartford defeated the Erie SeaWolves 10-9 at Dunkin' Park in Hartford. Yaniquiel Fernandez also continued his impressive start to his Double-A career by collecting two RBIs, and Niko Decolati stayed hot at the plate, reaching base four times, including three hits, and scoring three of Hartford's ten runs. The Yard Goats played in front of their 13th consecutive sellout at Dunkin' Park.
For the second straight night, Decolati and Fernandez teamed up to produce Hartford's first run of the ballgame. Leading off the bottom of the first inning, Decolati looped a single over Erie second baseman Trei Cruz's head for a single before stealing second base and advancing to third on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Fernandez skyed a ball to deep centerfield, allowing Decolati to score on the sacrifice fly and giving the Yard Goats an early 1-0 lead.
The SeaWolves came back with a big inning of their own in the top of the third inning. Ben Malgeri singled with one-out before Hartford starter Chris McMahon struck out Cruz for the second out. Erie would then display some two-out resilience, as Colt Keith doubled home Malgeri, Wenceel Perez singled to right field to drive in Keith, and Andrew Navigato hit a two-run shot over the left field wall. After two-and-a-half innings, Erie held a 4-1 advantage.
Hartford would get a run back in the bottom of the third inning. Once again, Decolati singled, this time on a soft ground ball to SeaWolves third baseman Gage Workman for an infield hit. Two batters later, Hunter Goodman lined a double into the gap in left center field, allowing Decolati to hustle around the bases and cutting Erie's lead to 4-2 after three innings.
Erie immediately responded in the top of the fourth inning. Workman worked a one-out walk before stealing second base and scoring on a throwing error by the Yard Goats. McMahon would rebound nicely, getting Malgeri to pop out to shortstop and Cruz to fly out to right field, but Erie now led 5-2 heading into the fifth inning.
In the top of the sixth inning, the SeaWolves struck again, putting two more runs up on the board. Justice Bigbie doubled to the right field corner, and Julio Rodriquez brought him home two batters later by homering to left field, giving Erie a 7-2 lead after six innings.
The Yard Goats would threaten Erie's lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Braxton Fulford doubled to lead off the inning, followed by a single from Bret Boswell. Then, Decolati was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Hartford with no outs. After SeaWolves reliever Adam Wolf got the next two batters to fly out to shallow right field, Fernandez drove in another run by bouncing a one-hopper off of Wolf and legging out an infield single. The next batter, Kyle Datres, roped a single to right field, bringing home Boswell and slicing Erie's lead to 7-4 after seven frames.
Erie went on to score two more runs in the top of the eight inning thanks to a solo home run from Workman and an RBI single from Keith to drive in Malgeri, making it a 9-4 advantage for Erie heading into the final inning.
However, the Yard Goats would rally to score six in the bottom of the ninth inning. Decolati led off with a single, and Grant Lavigne reached base on an error by the SeaWolves. Goodman then singled to drive in Decolati before Fernandez reached base on another error by Erie to load the bases for Datres, who grounded into a fielder's choice but allowed Lavigne to score. Next, Bladimir Restituyo lined a single to right field, and Blomgren launched a three-run home run into the Hartford night to walk it off for the Yard Goats and give Hartford a 10-9 victory.
The Yard Goats and Erie Seawolves play the fourth game of a six-game series on Friday night (7:10 PM) at Dunkin' Park. Nick Garcia gets the start for the Yard Goats, as he seeks his first win of the 2023 season. For Erie, Brant Hunter toes the rubber after taking the loss in his last outing against the Harrisburg Senators, throwing just one innings and giving up four runs on five hits. Tomorrow's game will be broadcast on AM 1410, FM 100.9 and on the iheart radio app.
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