MANCHESTER, NH – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (16-23) were blanked by the Somerset Patriots (18-21) at Delta Dental Stadium on Tuesday night, 5-0. After Somerset grabbed a 4-0 lead, New Hampshire righty Alex Amalfi weathered the storm with 2-2/3 innings of relief, but the Fisher Cats’ bats couldn’t keep pace and mustered three hits.
New Hampshire’s Rafael Sánchez (L, 1-2) survived four innings and allowed four earned runs with two walks and two strikeouts. After going a season-high 3-1/3 innings against Reading last week, Amalfi picked up four strikeouts and allowed two hits in 2-2/3 innings of work. In his last three appearances, Amalfi has collected 12 punchouts and allowed two earned runs across eight frames.
In an effort that featured five bullpen arms, Somerset’s Jon Olsen struck out a season-high four batters in two scoreless innings, his first start of the season. The Patriots’ bullpen combined for seven scoreless frames from then on and struck out 11. Right-handed reliever Jordanny Ventura (W, 2-0) faced the minimum in two hitless innings with four strikeouts to earn the win.
Somerset put its first two runners on first and second on a lead-off single from shortstop George Lombard Jr. and a free pass to catcher Rafael Flores. Sánchez bounced back with a strikeout and a fielder’s choice from Cats’ third baseman Cade Doughty that nabbed Lombard Jr. at home plate. After another walk loaded the bases for the Patriots, first baseman Tyler Hardman belted a single to centerfield that gave Somerset a 2-0 lead.
Fisher Cats designated hitter Yohendrick Piñango reached on an infield single before swiping both the second and third base bags. New Hampshire had runners on the corners with two outs in the frame but failed to convert and trailed 2-0 after the first inning.
Piñango extended his on-base streak to 10 games and is hitting a league-best .388 in the month of May. The lefty slugger also headlines the Eastern League by slashing .500/.714/1.214 in 36 games played.
The Patriots piled on additional runs in the top of the third and fourth innings to extend their lead to 4-0. Somerset knocked three-straight singles in the third including a run-scoring hit from left fielder Grant Richardson. The first two Patriots’ batters reached scoring position in the fourth to set up a sacrifice fly from Lombard Jr. that put Somerset in front, 4-0. Somerset’s final run came off a lead-off homer from Hardman, who drove in his third RBI of the game to make it a 5-0 game in the top of the eighth inning.
After Piñango’s lead-off single in the first inning, New Hampshire was held hitless until centerfielder Dasan Brown belted a single to left field to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Left fielder RJ Schreck followed by scorching a single off the right-field wall that put runners on first and third with no outs. The Fisher Cats were set down in order after that with two strikeouts and a popout which secured Somerset’s game one victory, 5-0.