MANCHESTER, NH – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (29-40) dropped the series finale to the Somerset Patriots (35-34) at Delta Dental Stadium on Sunday afternoon, 12-5. Fisher Cats third baseman Charles McAdoo belted a two-run shot to extend his on-base streak to 19 games, which brought the Cats within three of Somerset in the bottom of the sixth inning.
McAdoo went 2-for-4 and has reached in every game this month. Since being activated off the Development List on May 27, McAdoo is hitting .286 with four homers, 12 extra base knocks and 13 runs driven in and has reached base safely in 22 of his 24 games played.
New Hampshire starter Rafael Sánchez (L, 2-5) surrendered five earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts through 3-2/3 innings. Reliever Conor Larkin took over in the top of the fourth inning and went on to allow two earned runs on two hits in one inning of work. Reliever Grayson Thurman held Somerset scoreless in the top of the seventh and eighth innings with three punchouts.
Somerset jumped out to a 3-0 lead with two runs in the first inning and one in the top of the second. Somerset hitters Brenden Jones and Tyler Hardman combined for six hits, three doubles and two homers and scored six of Somerset’s 12 runs.
The Fisher Cats responded in the bottom of the third inning when center fielder Devonte Brown and catcher Alex Stone led off the frame with a pair of walks. Shortstop Jay Harry then poked a single to plate Brown and it cut into Somerset’s lead, 3-1. The Patriots responded with two flyouts before first baseman Peyton Williams cracked a double off the right field wall to plate Stone and Harry to tie Sunday’s score at 3-3.
Somerset plated two runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings, thanks to Hardman’s two-run homer and an RBI double. The Patriots added one run in the top of the sixth inning on designated hitter Spencer Jones’ third homer of the series, and Somerset led, 8-3.
After the Fisher Cats moved within three on McAdoo’s homer in the sixth to make it 8-5, Somerset then brought home four more runs in the top of the ninth inning. Center fielder Brendan Jones capped the inning with a three-run homer to finalize the scoring at 12-5.
The Fisher Cats hit the road to open the first half against the Hartford Yard Goats at Dunkin’ Park. The six-game series opens with a 7:10 PM EDT first pitch on Tuesday, June 24. New Hampshire returns to Delt Dental Stadium on Tuesday, July 1 to welcome the Portland Sea Dogs for three games.