Homers by Toglia, MacIver Not Enough as Somerset Patriots Defeat Yard Goats, 7-4

WP - Kyle Zurak (1-0)

LP - PJ Poulin (0-1)

SV - Steven Jennings (1)

T - 2:53

A - 6,850

Hartford, Conn - Despite home runs by Michael Toglia and Willie MacIver, the Yard Goats fell to the Somerset Patriots, 7-4, in front of a second-consecutive sellout crowd at Dunkin Donuts Park on Saturday night. Blake Perkins hit two home runs and scored three times to pace the Yankees AA affiliate.

For the second time in as many days, Yard Goats’ outfielder Isaac Collins drew a leadoff walk and came home on a first-inning, 2-run homer. Toglia — Colorado’s No. 8 prospect — unloaded on a fastball from Yankees’ No. 6 prospect Ken Waldichuk and drove it 405 feet to center to give Hartford an early 2-0 lead. Rockies’ No. 26 prospect Noah Davis started and struck out five in the first three innings.

The Patriots evened the score in the top of the fourth on an RBI single to right by Chad Bell and a sacrifice fly by Jesus Bastidas. Yard Goats’ centerfielder Brenton Doyle was presented with a Rawlings Gold Glove pre-game for his play last season with the Spokane Indians (High-A) and nearly notched his first Eastern League assist on the throw home. Still, with runners on first and second and one out, MacIver corralled a ball in the dirt and threw behind Bell at first for the out, and Davis induced his sixth strikeout on the next pitch.

In the bottom of the inning, MacIver led off and promptly crushed his fifth home run of the season to regain the lead, 3-2. Davis responded in the top of the fifth by retiring the first two batters he faced and finished with 4 2/3 innings pitched and seven strikeouts. Later in the inning though, Perkins’ third hit of the night sailed over the fence in left for a 3-run homer and put Somerset ahead, 5-3.

Toglia scored his second run of the game in the last of the sixth inning on a Somerset throwing error to get Hartford back within one. But Perkins capped off his four-hit night with a drive off the scoreboard in left to put Somerset back up by two runs. The Patriots tacked on another insurance run in the eighth inning.

The Yard Goats (7-7) and Patriots (8-6) play the series finale tomorrow, April 24 (1:05 ET) at Dunkin’ Donuts Park. Coming off six no-hit innings on Tuesday, RHP Karl Kauffmann will make his second start of the series for Hartford, and RHP Randy Vasquez will start for Somerset. The game will be broadcast on Newsradio 1410 WPOP.