Yard Goats Comeback Falls Just Short as Patriots Top Hartford, 5-4
Published on April 20, 2022 under Eastern League (EL)
Hartford Yard Goats News Release
Hartford, Conn. - The Somerset Patriots scored in four of the first six innings and survived four unanswered Hartford runs to defeat the Yard Goats, 5-4, at Dunkin Donuts Park on Wednesday night. Anthony Volpe and Josh Breaux both went deep, and starter Mitch Spence threw five scoreless while striking out five to secure his first win of the season.
Coming off a three-strikeout evening yesterday, Volpe led off by hitting a 1-2 breaking ball from Hartford starter Mitch Kilkenny over the left-center field fence for his second home run of the year. Somerset then scratched out a run in the second on an RBI single by Jesus Bastides before Josh Breaux hit his fifth homer of the year to begin the top of the third inning.
The Patriots had the leadoff man aboard in each of the first four innings. In the fourth, Hartford's Michael Baird overcame a double to strike out three-straight Somerset hitters. Baird finished with seven strikeouts in three innings of work, allowing just the lone run in the third.
Somerset tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning, first on a ringing RBI triple off the right-center field fence by Blake Perkins and an RBI single by Michael Gasper two pitches later. The Patriots later loaded the bases against reliever Will Gaddis, but the 2017 third-round pick limited the damage by inducing a fly out to center.
Hartford got one back on an RBI double by the Rockies No. 7 prospect, Brenton Doyle, in the bottom of the inning. Then in the seventh, Hartford loaded the bases on Kyle Datres' second walk, a catcher's interference and an Isaac Collins single. With nobody out, Ezequiel Tovar struck out swinging and Coco Montes (2-for-5, 1 2B) grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The Yard Goats had another scoring opportunity with runners on second and third and one out in the bottom of the eighth. This time, Aaron Schunk plated Michael Toglia with a groundout to short and Jameson Hannah's second hit of the night scored Doyle. Isaac Collins' ensuing bloop single to left made it a one-run game and sent Tovar to the plate two outs and two on. The shortstop hit a sharp ground ball down the first-base line that eight-year MLB veteran Derek Dietrich smothered with a diving stop and flipped to first to end the inning. Hartford finished five-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
The Yard Goats (5-6) and Patriots (7-4) play again tomorrow, April 21 (7:05 ET) at Dunkin' Donuts Park. LHP Nick Bush will start for Hartford, and RHP Sean Boyle will start for Somerset. The game will be broadcast on Newsradio 1410 WPOP.
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April 20, 2022
WP- (1-1) Mitch Spence
LP- (0-3) Mitch Kilkenny
SV- (2) Derek Craft
T - 3:02
A - 5,274
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