ERIE, Penn. – Two ninth-inning runs provided the difference between victory and defeat on Friday night as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats opened up their series with the Erie SeaWolves with a 7-5 victory.
The late rally came as one final pendulum swing in a fairly even contest.
Erie’s Derek Hill opened up the scoring with a solo home run in the first, with Cam Gibson’s RBI double adding another SeaWolf run before the inning’s close.
The Wolves added another run in the second, providing a lead that remained until four extra-base hits transformed into four runs for the visitor in the fifth.
Brock Lundquist drove home Forrest Wall in the fifth to make it 5-3, a New Hampshire lead that lasted until Kody Eaves’ two-run homer in the eighth.
Echoing their fourth-inning result, the Fisher Cats collected hits on four of their first five at-bats, with Dany Jimenez putting up a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the night to seal the win.
That ninth inning gave Jimenez his second save of the year while Corey Copping climbed to 1-1 with his three innings of relief.
Ethan DeCaster fell to 3-2, pitching Erie’s final four innings and not allowing a single baserunner until the ninth.
Santiago Espinal joined Lundquist and Chad Spanberger in the two-hit column for New Hampshire with Lundquist also driving in three of the ‘Cats five runs.
Isaac Paredes went 3-for-3 with a run, walk and RBI for the Wolves, with Hill adding another hit along with the homer.
Both teams return on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.