Fisher Cats win first home series of season

MANCHESTER, N.H — The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, won their fourth straight against the Harrisburg Senators on Sunday afternoon, winning 7-2 in front of a season-high crowd of 6,113 at Delta Dental Stadium. It’s the first home series win of the season for the Fisher Cats.

The Fisher Cats bullpen of Andrew Bash, Luis Quinones (2-0), Gabriel Ponce, Jimmy Burnette and Parker Caracci combined for 6.1 shutout innings of relief, allowing just two hits while striking out eight.

In the six-game series against the Senators, Fisher Cat relievers did not allow a single run, amounting to 23.2 shutout innings.

Will Robertson opened the scoring in the first by grounding into a fielder’s choice, his fourth RBI of the series. He has driven in the first run for the Fisher Cats in the last three games. New Hampshire (13-13) has outscored opponents 21-4 in the first inning to start the year.

Trailing 2-1 in the sixth, PK Morris tied the score with an RBI single grounded off Harrisburg (11-15) pitcher Tim Cate’s (0-2) leg. It was Morris’s first RBI in over two weeks.

Next batter later, Kekai Rios gave the Fisher Cats the lead with an RBI groundout to second while Sebastian Espino drove in Morris for an insurance run with a single to right to make the score 4-2 after the sixth.

Steward Berroa put the game away with a three-run home run to right-center in the eighth, his third home run of the year. He is now the second Fisher Cat to reach double-digit RBIs with 10 now on the season.

Leo Jimenez extended his on-base streak to 15 games and his hit streak to six games with a single to lead off the game. He has reached base in every game played and has collected a hit in 13 of 15 games this season.

The Fisher Cats begin a six-game road trip against the Reading Fightin’ Phils with the first game of the series scheduled for Tuesday at 11:00 am.

The next home stand for the Fisher Cats begins Tuesday, May 16 against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. Promotions for the week include Margaritaville Night and Atlas Fireworks on Thursday, Wizards & Wands Night with Atlas Fireworks on Saturday, Princesses at the Park and Kids Run the Bases Sunday, presented by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission Division of Enforcement, and a Youth Jersey Giveaway Sunday, courtesy of Delta Dental.

Tickets are available at NHFisherCats.com, via email at [email protected], over the phone at (603) 641-2005, or in-person at the Fisher Cats box office at 1 Line Drive in Manchester.