Gatos Feroces fall to Los Chivos on Sunday

Manchester, New Hampshire – Four homers for the Gatos Feroces de New Hampshire were not enough on Sunday afternoon. The New Hampshire bullpen cracked late, and the Gatos Feroces (5-7, 36-45) fell, 10-7, to Los Chivos de Hartford (Colorado Rockies, 6-6, 49-32) in the second celebration of Copa de la Diversión at Delta Dental Stadium this season.

Copa de la Diversión is a season-long Minor League Baseball event series designed to embrace the culture and values that resonate with the United States Latino communities and with the game’s Hispanic players. The Fisher Cats rebranded as “Gatos Feroces de New Hampshire,” which literally translates to the “Ferocious Cats of New Hampshire,” as a part of the celebration.

The Gatos bats were hot again, as New Hampshire hit four homers in a game for the second time this season. Cam Eden got the scoring going for New Hampshire with a two-run dinger in the second inning, tying the game, 2-2.

Adam Kloffenstein started for New Hampshire in his second outing of the Hartford series. After giving up five runs in the first inning on Tuesday, Kloffenstein was tagged with two runs in the opening frame on Sunday. He buckled down from there, though, finishing with 4.0 innings of work and two earned runs. He allowed two hits, walked four and struck out five.

Two big innings for Hartford against the Gatos Feroces bullpen made the difference. Los Chivos scored four off Marcus Reyes (L, 1-3) in the fifth inning to move in front, 6-2.

John Aiello and Davis Schneider both hit leadoff homers in the fifth and sixth innings, bringing New Hampshire within two, 6-4.

The other big inning for Hartford occurred in the top of the seventh, though. Los Chivos scored another four runs on four hits, and all four earned runs were charged to Cre Finfrock.

Trailing, 10-4, in the middle of the seventh, the Gatos would score three more times. One run scored on a base loaded walk. The next came courtesy of a Zac Cook solo homer in the eighth, and the last scored on a wild pitch in the ninth.

New Hampshire outhit Hartford, 12-11, in the game, and all nine players in the Gatos batting order had hits. Aiello, Phil Clarke and Luis De Los Santos all had multi-hit games, but the Gatos Feroces lost by three. They split their weeklong series versus Hartford.

The Fisher Cats head on the road to Reading, Pennsylvania tomorrow for a six-game series starting on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. New Hampshire returns to Delta Dental Stadium on Friday, July 22 against the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox). Tickets can be found 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.