Hess Shines as Offense Explodes Late in Game 2 to Split Doubleheader with the Cats
EL Somerset Patriots

Hess Shines as Offense Explodes Late in Game 2 to Split Doubleheader with the Cats

Published on June 27, 2026 under Eastern League (EL)
Somerset Patriots News Release


Somerset Patriots' Ben Hess on the mound
Somerset Patriots' Ben Hess on the mound
(Somerset Patriots)

The Somerset Patriots split a doubleheader with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, NH on Saturday evening. Somerset dropped Game 1 in walk-off fashion in the seventh inning 6-5, before bouncing back with a 5-1 win in Game 2. The split moved the Patriots to 2-4 across three doubleheaders this season.

With the result, Somerset moved to 5-6 against the Fisher Cats this season after splitting a six-game set at TD Bank Ballpark to end May. Dating back to 2025, Somerset is 27-8 against the Fisher Cats.

In Game 1, Somerset suffered its ninth walk-off loss of the season after tying the game 5-5 in the sixth inning. In Game 2, the Patriots used a four-run seventh inning that saw four of the first five batters score and five of the first six batters reach safely.

Somerset held New Hampshire to just one hit in Game 2. The lone hit marked the fewest the Patriots have allowed in a game this season and the fewest in a game since April 15, 2025 at Altoona. For the first time since June 7 - June 11, Somerset's pitching staff has allowed two or fewer earned runs in three of its last four games.

The 6-5 loss in Game 1 is Somerset's eighth one-run game in its last 13 contests, dropping the Patriots to 13-16 in an Eastern League-leading 29 one-run games. Dating back to May 29 vs. NH, 13 of Somerset's last 26 games have been decided by one run.

Somerset's offense pummeled six XBH across both games of the doubleheader. Since snapping an MiLB-leading 69-game streak with at least one XBH to start the season, the Patriots have pounced for 14 XBH in their last four games.

RHP Chase Hampton (3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 4 K) made his third start for Somerset since being activated off the 7-day IL on June 12. Hampton tossed a season-high 72 pitches, the most pitches he's thrown in an outing since August 22, 2023 vs. Hartford (93 pitches). Across 16 starts with Somerset dating back to 2023, Hampton has a 2-3 record, 4.68 ERA and .244 BAA with 81 K to 32 BB in 77.0 IP.

RHP Ben Hess (4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K) made his 10th start of the season and eighth since returning off the 7-day IL on May 14. He pitched into the fifth inning for the first time since April 3 on Opening Day vs. Portland. Hess notched his first strikeout of the night by freezing Nick Goodwin on a 97-mph fastball in the first inning. Hess' five strikeouts were his most since May 26 when he struck out five batters in two innings vs. New Hampshire. In three starts against the Fisher Cats this season, Hess has posted a 1.93 ERA, 0.96 WHIP with 10 K to 2 BB in 9.1 IP. Hess' 65 pitches were the most he's thrown since being reinstated off the injured list.

RHP Harrison Cohen (1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K) recorded his seventh consecutive scoreless outing in Game 2. Since making his first appearance of the season with Somerset on May 26, Cohen hasn't allowed an earned run or hit across 7.1 IP. During that stretch he's posted a 0.68 WHIP with eight strikeouts.

CF, DH Jace Avina (2-for-8, 2B, 2 RBI, R) notched a two-run double in the third inning of Game 1, before singling in the first inning of Game 2. Since returning off the 7-day IL, Avina has hits in seven of his last nine games. In that span he's 11-for-36 (.306 AVG) with two XBH, three walks and three multi-hit games. Avina has reached base safely in 36 of his last 39 games, slashing .331/.406/.631 in that span, raising his season-long OPS from .629 to .915.

3B, 3B Coby Morales (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 2 R) hammered an RBI double in Game 1, notching his Eastern League-leading 55th RBI of the season. In the sixth inning of Game 1, Morales singled to secure his team-leading 20th multi-hit game this season. Morales has notched an extra base hit in three of his last four games after snapping a three-game streak with an extra base hit in Game 2 of the doubleheader. With 69 hits this season, Morales is tied with Dylan Jasso (2025) for the fourth-most hits among Patriots all-time through Somerset's first 74 games to start a season. Across his last 15 games, Morales has slashed .321/.387/.536 with three HR, 11 RBI and six XBH alongside five multi-hit games.

SS, SS Kevin Verde (1-for-4, RBI) pumped a game-tying RBI single through the infield in the fifth inning of Game 2. Defensively, Verde robbed Dub Gleed of a hit with a sprawling defensive effort at shortstop to end the fourth inning of Game 2.

2B, 2B Connor McGinnis (2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 R) connected on a leadoff double in the third inning of Game 1, before smoking a two-RBI double in the seventh inning of Game 2. McGinnis was the only Patriot with an extra base hit in each game of the doubleheader. Across his last seven games, McGinnis is 7-for-21 (.333) with two walks, five XBH, five RBI and a .400 BABIP.

PH Miguel Palma (2-for-2, 2 RBI, 1 R) smacked a pinch-hit RBI single in the sixth inning of Game 1 to tie the game 5-5. In Game 2, Palma pieced a pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh inning to give Somerset the lead for good. Palma's hit in Game 1 marked his first as a pinch hitter in his career. Palma is the only Patriot ever to have two pinch-hit hits in both games of a doubleheader. Palma is the first hitter in Double-A to record two pinch-hit hits on the same day since Michael Earley on April 3, 2014 with Birmingham. He is the first full-season hitter in MiLB to accomplish the feat since Ryan McMahon did on June 3, 2018 with Triple-A Albuquerque (COL).

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Somerset Patriots' Ben Hess on the mound
Somerset Patriots' Ben Hess on the mound
   



Eastern League Stories from June 27, 2026


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