MANCHESTER, NH – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (19-24) dropped a Friday night contest to the Somerset Patriots (21-22) at Delta Dental Stadium, 8-7. Second baseman Miguel Hiraldo knocked his first home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Fisher Cats a 7-5 lead.
The Patriots scored the game’s final three runs with two in the eighth and one in the ninth. On a 3-2 count with two outs in the top of the ninth and the bases clear, an automatic ball was assessed to Patriots center fielder Spencer Jones, who was initially called out on strikes, due to a violation of infielder positioning.
Somerset ultimately broke the 7-7 tie and plated Jones on a two-out RBI single from catcher Agustin Ramirez off New Hampshire’s Andrew Bechtold (L, 0-1). Somerset’s Jesus Liranzo (W, 1-0) struck out three batters
in two innings.
Hiraldo recorded his first home run of the season, a three-run shot in the bottom of the sixth, to end a four-run inning for New Hampshire. After Hiraldo’s homer, New Hampshire led, 7-5.
Catcher Andres Sosa smacked doubles in back-to-back at-bats. The two-baggers were his first since April 14 against Somerset. Friday marks Sosa’s second two-double game of the season; the first came April 7 at Binghamton.
Somerset posted three early runs in the top of the first inning off the New Hampshire starter, Michael Dominguez, all with two outs. The Fisher Cats pushed a run across in the bottom of the first after Josh Kasevich and Alan Roden doubled consecutively to move the score to 3-1.
New Hampshire and Somerset each scored a run in the top and bottom of the fourth and fifth inning. After the Patriots stretched their lead to 4-1 in the top of the fourth, Sosa doubled for the first time in Friday’s game in the bottom of the inning to plate right fielder Devonte Brown. First baseman Rainer Nunez responded to another Somerset run-scoring inning with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. After five innings, New Hampshire trailed Somerset, 5-3.
The Fisher Cats posted their four-run frame in the bottom of the sixth, an inning highlighted by Hiraldo’s first home run of the season. After singles from catcher Zach Britton and Brown, Sosa doubled off the center field wall and cut the Somerset advantage to 5-4. Hiraldo homered to right field on the next pitch to give New Hampshire their first lead of Friday’s game at 7-5.
The seven-game series resumes on Saturday, May 25 with New Hampshire’s annual Cats-Con game, which features characters from Double Midnight Comics. New Hampshire RHP Devereaux Harrison (1-2, 4.84 ERA) makes his ninth start of the year, while Somerset sends RHP Trystan Vrieling (3-4, 4.40 ERA).
Following a two-week road trip to Akron (May 28–June 2) and Erie (June 4–June 9), New Hampshire’s next homestand is June 11-16 against the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the San Francisco Giants’ Double-A club.