Yard Goats Score Four Runs in 8th Inning and Spoil Reading's Home Opener
April 11, 2023 - Eastern League (EL)
Hartford Yard Goats News Release
Reading, PA - The Hartford Yard Goats (2-2) erased deficits of 2-0 and 4-2, and batted around scoring four runs in the eighth inning for an 8-6 victory against the Reading Fightin Phils (0-4) on Tuesday night at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was the home opener for the Fightin Phils in Reading. Trailing 4-2 in the seventh inning, Hartford SS Julio Carreras led off the inning with a solo home run, and OF Bladimir Restituyo connected on a two-out blast to tie the game. The Yard Goats started the eighth inning with back-to-back singles by Warming Bernabel and Drew Romo off reliever Andrew Schultz. Eddie Diaz gave the Yard Goats its first lead at 5-4 with an RBI single, scoring Bermabel. Restituyo followed with a two-RBI double to make it 7-4. Seymour, CT native Nick Kuzia pitched the ninth to record his first save.
Reading scored a pair of runs in the first inning on RBI singles from Oliver Dunn and McCarthy Tatum to take a 2-0 lead off Hartford starter Chris McMahon. The Yard Goats tied the game on Hunter Goodman's two-run double in the third inning against Reading starter David Parkinson.
The Fightins made it 4-2 on Mathew Kroon's two run homer in the third. However, the Yard Goats battled back and pulled even with the two homers in the top of the seventh, first blasts of the season for Carreras and Restituyo.
The Yard Goats built a four-run rally in the eighth inning to take a 8-4 lead with RBI hits from Diaz and Restituyo. Reading got a run on a homer and an error in the 8th to make it 8-6 but that is as close as the Fightins would get. Reliever Dugan Darnell worked two innings for his first win, and Nick Kuzia pitched a scoreless inning for the save.
The Yard Goats continue the road trip on Wednesday night at 6:45 PM with RHP Nick Garcia starting for the Yard Goats and LHP Ethan Lindow starting for the Fightin Phils. The game can be heard on AM 1410 WPOP, FM 100.9 and the iheart radio app.
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