Rincon's Double Dinger Night Powers Reading's Saturday Night Victory
EL Reading Fightin Phils

Rincon's Double Dinger Night Powers Reading's Saturday Night Victory

Published on July 25, 2026 under Eastern League (EL)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


(Harrisburg, PA) - The Reading Fightin' Phils (15-11, 45-50) defeated the Harrisburg Senators (14-10, 48-45) by a final score of 6-5 on Saturday evening.

The Senators would send right-hander Josh Randall to the hill as he was opposed by Gage Wood (PHI's top prospect) for the Fightins. Randall's first matchup would be with Reading's shortstop Bryan Rincon. Just a trio of pitches into the ballgame, Rincon (PHI's No. 16 prospect) clobbered a solo homer, his fourth leadoff round-tripper of the season, giving Reading an immediate 1-0 lead out the gate. Randall bounced back to retire his three hitters, two via the strikeout, to conclude his opening frame. Wood would post for a 1-2-3 bottom half of the first, punching out two hitters of his own.

In the top of the second, catcher Caleb Ricketts battled Randall to earn an eight-pitch, one-out walk. Following a Kehden Hettiger strikeout, Luke Ritter shot an opposite-field RBI double to make it a 2-0 game. Wood picked up another pair of strikeouts during his second frame, surrendering a two-out double to Caleb Lomativa before stranding him in scoring position.

Reading's offense would strike for more in the fourth, beginning with a long solo blast off the bat of Ricketts, his seventh homer with Reading this season. Randall would follow this blemish with a five-pitch walk to Hettiger before plunking Nikau Pouaka-Grego, putting two men on for the guy who previously got the better of him in Rincon. On the first pitch delivered, Rincon crushed a three-run rocket off the scoreboard in right field, busting the game open at 6-0. This was the second home run of the night for the 22-year-old shortstop and his 15th total on the year.

The Senators did begin to chip away in the bottom half of the inning, immediately stringing a pair of hits off of Wood. Branden Boissiere led off with a double before scoring on a Kervin Pichardo single, getting the Sens on the board. Wood would retire his next hitters with a pair of flyouts but did surrender a two-out RBI double to T.J. White to bring home Harrisburg's second run of the frame.

Johnathon Thomas did tag Wood for another run in the fifth with a leadoff solo homer, slicing Reading's lead in half at 6-3. Following this, Wood did find himself in some trouble, as the sequence of the next hitters he faced was a seven-pitch walk, a single, and a hit by pitch. This loaded the bases for Pichardo with nobody out. Pichardo would collect his second RBI of the night with a sacrifice fly, bringing the Senators a run closer at 6-4. Wood would retire the next hitter in Devin Ortiz swinging before being pulled from the ballgame. Wood finished his night tossing 4.2 innings, surrendering three earned runs on six hits, with a walk and six strikeouts.

In relief of Wood came left-hander Tristan Garnett, who retired his lone batter of the night on just two pitches to end the inning. Wen-Hui Pan (PHI's No. 12 prospect) pitched a scoreless sixth, picking a punchout despite a hit batsman. Following Pan came Daniel Harper, who tossed a pair of scoreless frames in the 7th and 8th.

Christian McGowan came on to pitch the ninth inning for Reading and began his outing with a swift four-pitch strikeout of Cortland Lawson for his first out. Johnathon Thomas then singled to bring the tying-run in Sam Petersen to plate. Peterson was plunked and awarded first base before McGowan would again hit a batter, this time being Devin Fitz-Gerald, loading the bases with just one out. The next batter, Boissiere, walked on four straight pitches, scoring Thomas and bringing the Senators within just a run. McGowan would bear down and get Pichardo swinging for out number two before inducing an Ortiz flyout to center field to slam the door and secure the victory for the Fightins.

Garnett (4-0) earned the win for Reading, while Randall (3-4) picked up the loss for Harrisburg.

The Fightin Phils return to the field on Sunday afternoon against the Harrisburg Senators, Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, at 1:00 p.m. RHP Braydon Tucker (6-6, 3.13 ERA) will make his return from the injured list to take the mound for Reading, as RHP Yoel Tejeda (3-6, 3.74 ERA) gets the ball for Harrisburg as he'll be making his Double-A debut. A video stream is available via MiLB TV or the Bally Live App.

The Fightin Phils return home from Tuesday, July 28, through Sunday, August 2, against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets. Tuesday is a 12 PM Camp Kid Day Game, then Wednesday through Friday all feature postgame fireworks. Wednesday's show is sponsored by Beneficial Society Victory Emmanuel II, Thursday's by Riverfront Federal Credit Union, and Friday by Tompkins. Saturday is a Harry Potter-themed Carpenter MEGA Blast Fireworks, thanks to International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 429. The series ends Sunday with a R-Phils Mascot Band T-Shirt Celebrating 25 Seasons of the Mascot Band for the first 2,000 kids, sponsored by Ron Procopio Custom Guitars, Asher's Chocolate Co., Reading Fire Department Paramedics and Berks County Department of Agriculture/Bountiful Berks.

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Eastern League Stories from July 25, 2026


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