Cats Split Erie Series to Wrap 12-Game Road Trip  

ERIE, PA. – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (26-31) dropped the series finale, 4-1, to the Erie SeaWolves (31-24) at UPMC Park on Sunday afternoon. The Fisher Cats brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in the top of the ninth but left two runners stranded.

New Hampshire catcher Andres Sosa produced the lone run on his second home run of the season to give the Cats the lead in the top of the second inning. Sosa first homered on April 19 in a 3-2 loss at Hadlock Field in Portland.

Starter Trenton Wallace (L, 3-2) struck out seven batters for the Fisher Cats but left the game after securing the first out of the bottom of the fifth with 90 total pitches, 61 for strikes. Wallace gave up three runs on three hits in his 4 1/3 innings.

Erie’s Troy Melton (W, 2-5) struck out six batters and walked one on Sunday afternoon.

New Hampshire nabbed an early 1-0 lead on Sosa’s solo blast in the top of the second inning. Erie immediately answered the 1-0 score with a solo home run of their own as left fielder Chris Meyers hit his 10th home run of the year.

The Fisher Cats threatened to break the 1-1 tie in the top of the fifth with a leadoff double by Miguel Hiraldo. Hiraldo jumped to third on an infield groundout by Garrett Spain. Left fielder Marcos De La Rosa reached base for the first time in Double-A in the top of the fifth with a walk. De La Rosa slid safely into second base, but Hiraldo was thrown out at home on an attempted double steal to preserve a 1-1 tie.

The score lasted until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Erie designated hitter Julio E. Rodriguez knocked his first solo home run of the season. Second baseman Carlos Mendoza walked and jumped from first to third base on a single by center fielder Ben Malgeri. SeaWolves shortstop Trei Cruz plated Mendoza on a groundout to extend the Erie lead to 3-1.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the SeaWolves pushed further away with an RBI single by the designated hitter Rodriguez for his second RBI of the day and third in his last two games.

Sosa, along with Fisher Cats third baseman Alex De Jesus, each singled in the top of the ninth for their second hits of the day to bring the tying run to the plate but failed to work away at the 4-1 score.

The Fisher Cats return to Delta Dental Stadium to begin back-to-back weeks of baseball in Manchester, starting Tuesday, June 11 with a six-game series against the Richmond Flying Squirrels, Double-A affiliates of the San Francisco Giants. Both starters in Tuesday’s series opener between New Hampshire and Richmond remain yet to be determined.

After six games against Richmond, the Fisher Cats welcome the Reading Fightin’ Phils to Manchester from Tuesday, June 18 through Sunday, June 23.

Fans can purchase multi-game memberships and single-game tickets at NHFishercats.com, via email at [email protected], by phone at (603) 641-2005, and in-person at the Fisher Cats box office on 1 Line Drive in Manchester.

About the New Hampshire Fisher Cats

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays and play their games at Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. Over 155 former Fisher Cats have reached the Major League level. The Fisher Cats have raised millions of dollars for various charities through the Fisher Cats Foundation and continuously strive to improve the quality of life for Granite State residents. The organization has been recognized as New Hampshire Business Review’s “Best Sporting Event to Take Clients to”, Parenting New Hampshire Magazine’s “New Hampshire’s Favorite Sporting Event for Families”, and New Hampshire Magazine’s “Best New Hampshire Sports Team”. For more information on the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, please visit NHFisherCats.com, call (603) 641-2005, or contact Chris Jared via email at [email protected].