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EL1 Reading Fightin Phils

Powerful Fightins Muscle by 'Ducks in Game One

April 23, 2018 - Eastern League (EL1)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


(Reading, PA) - What started as a back-and-forth affair in game one between the Fightin Phils and RubberDucks eventually turned in the home team's favor. While the temperatures aren't quite up to normal April standards yet, the wind was blowing out towards left and the Fightin Phils capitalized. Despite the "Ducks coming in with the league's best team ERA, Reading got home runs from Zach Green, Malquin Canelo, and Deivi Grullon and took the first of three by a final of 8-4.

Zach Coppola got things started with a leadoff double against Aaron Civale, and advanced twice on a wild pitch and a passed ball for a 1-0 first inning lead. The RubberDucks came back against Harold Arauz, who started strong and went three up and three down over the first two innings. In the third, a leadoff triple from Mark Mathias came before a Dorssys Paulino infield single that tied the score. Another single from Tyler Krieger put a couple of runners on base, and Joe Sever later cashed in with a two out single to drive in a pair and put Akron ahead 3-1.

The home run barrage began when Canelo led off the third with a line drive that cleared the wall in left. Damek Tomscha followed with a walk, and two batters later, Green crushed a 2-1 pitch for his second home run in as many days to give the Fightin Phils a 4-3 lead. Akron came right back in the top of the fourth with Paulino knocking a double just over the leap of Cornelius Randolph in left, re-tying the game at four. But in the home half it was Grullon who grooved Civale's (1-1) first pitch deep to left for his third homer and a 5-4 Fightins lead.

With both starters out of the game after five, the Fightin Phils went to work against lefthander David Speer to distance themselves in the sixth. After Randolph was hit by a pitch to start things off, Jan Hernandez reached on a two-error sequence by third baseman Joe Sever, who mishandled a grounder before firing off an errant throw. Grullon brought in his second run with a sacrifice fly to center and after Heiker Meneses knocked the second of his three singles, Coppola brought in his fifth run of the season with a sacrifice fly to left for a 7-4 lead.

One final run came across in the bottom of the eighth, courtesy of a one out double from Hernandez that ended up in right center. Meneses' third hit glanced off shortstop Alexis Pantoja before rolling into left, so while he wasn't credited with a run batted in, Meneses was crucial in the Fightins push for a four-run lead. After Arauz, Seranthony Dominguez, Seth McGarry, and Trevor Bettencourt combined on four scoreless innings of one-hit relief to keep the game right there and give the Fightin Phils a win to start the series.

America's Classic Ballpark is proud to be a part of Pennsylvania's Americana Region. Season tickets for the 2018 season are available online at Fightins.com, by phone at 610-370-BALL, and in-person at FirstEnergy Stadium. Follow the Fightin Phils on Twitter at @ReadingFightins and like them on Facebook via www.facebook.com/fightins.

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