BRIDGEWATER, NJ – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (6-11, 35-51) snapped a four-game skid against the Somerset Patriots (11-6, 45-40) at TD Bank Ballpark on Saturday night with a 6-3 win. Fisher Cats catcher Alex Stone collected three hits, including a run-scoring single in the top of the fifth inning. Third baseman Charles McAdoo recorded a pair of doubles and scored two runs for his fourth multi-hit game of the month.
Right-hander Alex Amalfi opened with three innings and allowed two runs on two hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Reliever Conor Larkin (W, 4-3) fired two scoreless, hitless innings with two strikeouts, and Rafael Sánchez handled the final four frames with one run on three hits and five punchouts to secure New Hampshire’s 6-3 win.
Tonight’s top takeaways:
- RHP Conor Larkin fires two scoreless innings of relief with no hits
- C Alex Stone records first three-hit game in Double-A
- OF Devonte Brown knocks pair of extra base hits
- Fisher Cats snap four-game losing skid
- 3B Charles McAdoo doubles twice, third multi-hit game of July
- RHP Rafael Sánchez allows one run in final four innings
Somerset starter Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (L, 0-1) tossed six innings and surrendered six runs and three earned on nine hits with no walks and three strikeouts in what was his Double-A debut. Righty Trystan Vrieling followed with three scoreless innings and allowed two hits with three strikeouts.
New Hampshire’s Stone led the offense with a 3-for-4 game and three singles, while center fielder Devonte Brown belted a pair of extra-base hits as the Fisher Cats outhit the Patriots, 11 to five.
The Patriots struck first in the bottom of the second inning on a bases-loaded double from shortstop Max Burt to take a 2-0 lead off New Hampshire’s Amalfi. From there, Fisher Cats pitching held the Patriots off the board until the bottom of the eighth inning.
Trailing 2-0, New Hampshire responded by loading the bases in the top of the third inning before McAdoo knocked a double down the right field line to cash in two runs. Before the inning ended, second baseman Ryan McCarty raced home on a wild pitch to give the Fisher Cats a 3-2 lead.
New Hampshire tacked on another run in the top of the fourth inning when shortstop Cade Doughty drove in Brown on a sacrifice fly to extend New Hampshire’s lead to 4-2. New Hampshire’s final run came across in the top of the fifth inning when Brown laced a triple to set up Stone’s single that made it a 5-2 Fisher Cats’ lead.
Somerset scratched one run across in the bottom of the eighth inning on designated hitter Rafael Flores’ single that brought home the shortstop Burt to finalize the scoring at 6-3.