Yard Goats Claim Finale over Cats

MANCHESTER, NH— The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (18-31, 48-69) fumbled away the series finale to the Hartford Yard Goats (27-23, 64-53) at Delta Dental Stadium on Sunday, 5-1. The Fisher Cats committed three errors which led to five unearned Yard Goats runs, all in the top of the fifth.

The Yard Goats’ win Sunday evened the season series at nine games each. New Hampshire won Tuesday, Thursday and Friday this week; the Cats also claimed the makeup of a rain-suspended game on June 30, which was completed Tuesday.

New Hampshire starter Abdiel Mendoza (L, 8-9) took the defeat, despite not allowing a single earned run. Mendoza made it through 4 1/3 innings, allowed four hits and struck out two. Adrian Hernandez cleaned up the fifth, then C.J. Van Eyk and Dahian Santos tossed two scoreless innings apiece.

Hartford’s starter Connor Van Scoyoc (W, 6-6) earned his sixth win after six scoreless innings. The Yard Goats bullpen allowed one run, Devonte Brown’s solo homer, over the final three innings.

Hartford plated five runs in the fifth, all of which were unearned. After a leadoff single, the Fisher Cats committed back-to-back errors to load the bases. A sacrifice fly and a fielder’s choice plated the first two runs, then designated hitter Juan Guerrero knocked an RBI single. The Yard Goats’ fourth run scored on a wild pitch, and the fifth came home on a groundout.

The Cats scored their only run in the seventh, as Brown belted his ninth home run into the Lighthouse Credit Union Pavilion. Brown’s ninth ties Garrett Spain for the second-most homers on the Fisher Cats; Rainer Nuñez leads the pack with 11.

New Hampshire hits the road for a six-game series at Peoples Natural Gas Field against the Altoona Curve, Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Fisher Cats return home for the final series at Delta Dental Stadium in 2024 against the Portland Sea Dogs, the Boston Red Sox Double-A club from September 3-8. Promotions include Rescue: Hi-Surf Theme Night on Thursday, County Fair Night with postgame Atlas Fireworks Friday, presented by Hyundai, and the final 20th anniversary celebration of 2024 Saturday, with a 2018 replica championship ring giveaway for the first 1,000 fans, presented by Northeast Delta Dental.

Every Fisher Cats home game is streamed live on MiLB.tv and through the Bally Live App; fans can listen to every Fisher Cats game on the Fisher Cats Radio Network.

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].