New Hampshire Looks to Snap Skid Behind Watts-Brown
EL New Hampshire Fisher Cats

New Hampshire Looks to Snap Skid Behind Watts-Brown

Published on July 11, 2025 under Eastern League (EL)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release


The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (5-10, 34-50) and Somerset Patriots (10-5, 45-39) play the fourth game of their six-game series TD Bank Ballpark at 7:05 PM EDT on Friday night.

LAST NIGHT

The Fisher Cats and Patriots exchanged scoreless innings until Somerset's George Lombard Jr. knocked in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to earn a 1-0 win on Thursday. New Hampshire was held to two hits and dropped their first 1-0 game of the season after winning their previous three.

Starter Kendry Rojas allowed two hits and struck out 10 in five scoreless innings. His 10 punchouts were the most by a Fisher Cats pitcher since Devereaux Harrison fanned 10 on July 19, 2024, in Harrisburg. Reliever Nate Garkow turned in two scoreless innings of relief for his ninth scoreless outing for the Fisher Cats this year.

New Hampshire's two hits were Cade Doughty's single in the top of the second inning and Jackson Horning's double that led off the top of the ninth.

Charles McAdoo went 0-for-4 to snap his 29-game on-base streak, failing to reach base safely for the first time since June 1.

PITCHING MATCHUP

Fisher Cats starter Juaron Watts-Brown (1-2, 2.90 ERA) leads the way against the Patriots on Friday night. Toronto's No. 15 prospect (MLB Pipeline) will make his third start against the Patriots this year, after making his first Double-A start against Somerset on May 24. Watts-Brown gave up five earned runs on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts in the Patriots' 6-3 win. Watts-Brown then dealt 4-2/3 innings with one earned run on three hits with four walks and eight strikeouts in New Hampshire's 5-3 loss to the Patriots on June 18. The righty started the year with High-A Vancouver and was promoted to New Hampshire on May 20 after leading all Canadians arms with 62 strikeouts. Watts-Brown's 104 strikeouts this season rank second amongst pitchers in the Blue Jays' farm system behind Trey Yesavage. Friday night will be Watts-Brown's ninth start for the Fisher Cats this year.

Somerset's Ben Shields (0-0, 2.25 ERA) will make his third start since being activated off the 60-day injured list on June 28. He began his rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League on June 2 and two weeks later was with High-A Hudson Valley. He tossed seven scoreless innings for the Renegades, allowing three hits and striking out seven. This is Shields' second season of professional baseball after splitting time between Hudson Valley and Somerset last year. In 11 appearances for the Patriots, Shields went 2-2 with a 3.13 earned run average across 52 innings pitched. He boasted a 2.75 earned run average with 71 strikeouts over 52-1/3 innings for the Renegades to start the year. His final outing of the year was against New Hampshire on September 12, when the righty went 4-2.3 innings and allowed one run on three hits, while fanning 10 batters in the Fisher Cats' 5-3 win.

THIS DAY IN FISHER CATS HISTORY

July 11, 2009- The Fisher Cats beat the Sea Dogs 4-2 at Hadlock Field, scoring all four runs in the top of the fourth inning. Nick Gorneault, pinch-hitting for Brian Dopirak, homered for the first run. That's one of eight pinch-hit homers in team history. Dopirak had been pulled after one at-bat, as he had been promoted to Triple-A. Adrian Martin went six scoreless innings for the win.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The series continues with a 7:05 PM EDT first pitch on Saturday night. Right-hander Trystan Vrieling (1-2, 5.40 ERA) will start for the Patriots and New Hampshire's starter for Saturday is to be determined.

Check out the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Statistics

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