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EL1 Reading Fightin Phils

Howard K's 10 in Debut, Fightins Fall to Cats 5-1

July 26, 2019 - Eastern League (EL1)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


(MANCHESTER, NH) - Spencer Howard racked up 10 strikeouts in his Double-A debut, but the Reading Fightin Phils dropped their second straight to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 5-1 on Friday night at Delta Dental Stadium.

Reading (22-15) (61-43) holds a 3.5 game lead in the Eastern division, with 36 games left to play.

Howard permitted one run on four hits and two walks across 4.2 innings in his Fightins debut. The 2017 second-round draft pick compiled 10 strikeouts, the fifth double-digit strikeout performance of his career.

The 22-year-old breezed through the first inning, striking out the side on 11 pitches. All three strikeouts came on 98 mph fastballs.

After Howard cut down Vinny Capra looking at a curveball to start the second, a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases for the Fisher Cats (14-22) (45-58). Howard struck out Christian Williams, but a walk to Logan Warmoth forced in the night's first run. The right-hander came back and struck out Forrest Wall to end the inning on his sixth strikeout of the night.

Howard exited after 4.2 innings of one-run ball, having made 82 pitches (55 strikes). The 82 pitches were the second-most he's made in a start this year, and the most he has thrown since he was activated from Clearwater's Injured List on July 8.

Reading brought it even in the sixth.

Luke Williams led off the frame with his second double of the night, knocking an 0-1 pitch from Hector Perez (7-4) to the track in right-center. With one out, Alec Bohm scorched a grounder to the right of second for a single, plating Williams to knot the game up at one.

Jonathan Hennigan (2-2) induced the final out of the fifth and went on to work the next two frames in relief.

After a brief umpire delay in the middle of the seventh, the Fisher Cats opened the home half with a single from Williams and a Warmoth ground-rule double. Hennigan struck out Wall, then intentionally walked Santiago Espinal to load the bases.

Chad Spanberger sent a chopper on the ground to the right side, slow enough to permit Williams to cross the plate and put New Hampshire back on top, 2-1. After Capra was hit by a pitch to re-load the bases, Brock Lundquist brought all three home on a grounder that caromed off the dive of the shortstop Jose Gomez, extending the Fisher Cats lead to 5-1.

Luke Williams finished 3-for-4, collecting three doubles out of the leadoff spot.

The Fightins and Fisher Cats square off in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 5:05 p.m. Coverage kicks off on 610 ESPN and the Fightins radio network at 5:45 p.m.

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 July 26, 2019


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