Senators Comeback Falls Just Short, Fightin Phils Hang on to Win 6-5
EL Harrisburg Senators

Senators Comeback Falls Just Short, Fightin Phils Hang on to Win 6-5

Published on July 25, 2026 under Eastern League (EL)
Harrisburg Senators News Release


HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Senators trailed the Fightin Phils 6-0 in the fourth and nearly came back, but Reading held on to win 6-5. The Fightins stranded the bases loaded to end the game.

Reading's Bryan Rincon opened the scoring, leading off the game with a homer off RHP Josh Randall (L, 3-4). A Luke Ritter RBI double in the second made it 2-0.

In the fourth, the Fightin Phils' Caleb Rickets led off the frame with a home run to right. Then, after a walk and hit batsman, Rincon homered again to stretch the lead to 6-0.

Randall went four innings, allowing the six runs on six hits, two walks and six strikeouts.

Harrisburg began chipping away in the bottom of the fourth against the Phillies' top prospect, Gage Wood.

Branden Boissiere doubled to lead off the inning. Kervin Pichardo, the next hitter, hit a line drive single to score Boissiere.

Later in the inning, a TJ White two-out double drove in Pichardo to cut the deficit to 6-2. Cortland Lawson flied out to the warning track in left-centerfield to end the inning.

In the fifth, Johnathon Thomas homered to left leading off the inning for his second homer of the series.

Then Sam Petersen drew a walk, Devin Fitz-Gerald singled and Boissiere was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Pichardo drove in his second run of the game with a sac fly to center, scoring Petersen to bring the Senators within two runs of the Fightin Phils.

The score held 6-4 until the ninth.

The Sens bullpen combined for five hitless innings to follow Randall. RHP Thomas Schultz threw a perfect fifth and sixth, striking out the side in the sixth.

Then RHP Jhancarlos Lara struck out the side in the seventh. He punched out the first two hitters on six pitches and got ahead of the third batter 0-2 but spiked the next pitch to fall to a 1-2 count, narrowly missing an immaculate inning.

Lara continued into the eighth, totaling 1.2 scoreless inning, walking one alongside the three strikeouts. RHP Aaron Shortridge came on and got the final out of the eighth.

RHP Blake Brown retired the side in order in the ninth, striking out two.

Harrisburg pitching combined for 15 strikeouts.

Meanwhile, the Fightin Phils held the Senators hitless over the sixth through eighth innings.

In the ninth, against Christian McGowan (S, 2), Johnathon Thomas singled with one out. McGowan then hit the next two batters, Petersen and Fitz-Gerald, to load the bases.

Branden Boissiere drew a walk to score Thomas and cut the lead to 6-5. The Sens had the tying run at third and potential winning run at second with only one out.

McGowan zeroed in and retired the next two to escape the jam, closing a 6-5 win for Reading.

Harrisburg tries again for the series win Sunday at 1:00 p.m. RHP Yoel Tejeda Jr. (0-0) is scheduled for the start, making his Senators debut.

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Eastern League Stories from July 25, 2026


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