New Hampshire swept in long-awaited doubleheader 

Manchester, N.H. – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (27-32) and Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees, 38-21) were rained out on May 7 in New Jersey. On Wednesday night, the two made up the game in a doubleheader at Delta Dental Stadium with each team playing as the home team once. The Fisher Cats lost, 2-0 and 4-3, in a pair of closely contested seven-inning games.

Game one – Somerset 2, New Hampshire 0

The first game of the doubleheader had runs in just one half inning. There were just eight hits, as the Patriots outhit the Fisher Cats, 5-3. Spencer Horwitz singled in the first inning, and Orelvis Martinez and Will Robertson both doubled later in the game.

Horwitz’s base knock into right field brought him to an 11-game hit streak, the longest for the Fisher Cats all season. The first baseman from Radford University has hit safely in every game since June 2 versus Portland. He is hitting .405 in June, first among Eastern League players and sixth in Double-A.

Martinez’s double was his third of the series, and Robertson doubled in five straight games after his two-bagger in the seventh.

In the top of the second inning, Somerset’s Jesus Bastidas tagged Hayden Juenger (L, 0-3) for a two-run homer that scored the only runs of the game.

Sean Mellen worked scoreless innings from the fourth through the sixth. The Norwood, Massachusetts native allowed two hits, walked none, and struck out one. Thomas Ruwe, the 6-foot-9 reliever, worked a scoreless seventh inning. He was promoted from High-A Vancouver on June 10.

Game two – Somerset 4, New Hampshire 3

Somerset played as the home team in game two of the doubleheader, as the two teams made up a game originally scheduled for May 7 at TD Bank Ballpark in New Jersey. Although the Fisher Cats return to Somerset in August, they needed to make the game up in the first half of the season, which ends on June 26.

Playing as the visitors at Delta Dental ended up costing the Cats, as Somerset won on a walk-off RBI single by Patriots left fielder Blake Perkins. Yankees No. 1 prospect Anthony Volpe scored the winning run after singling earlier in the inning.

Compared to game one, the Fisher Cats bats woke up in game two with eight hits, and they put two runners in scoring position in the third, fourth and fifth innings.

Luis De Los Santos cashed in with runners on first and third, bringing home Spencer Horwitz on a sacrifice fly. Horwitz singled earlier in the inning to extend his hit streak to 12 games and his on-base streak to 15.

After the Horwitz run, New Hampshire left runners on second and third to end both the fourth and fifth innings, striking out both times. They left six runners stranded in the game.

Will Robertson cashed in the sixth, though. He faced a new pitcher, Carlos Espinal (W, 1-0), after a Cam Eden single, and he turned around on a first-pitch fastball for a homer. Robertson now has seven homers this year and has tallied an extra base hit in his last six games. The two-run blast tied the game, 3-3, where it would stay until Somerset walked off for the win.

The Fisher Cats continue their 13-game homestand with first pitch at 6:35 p.m. tomorrow, June 16 against the Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees). Next week, New Hampshire welcomes the Altoona Curve (Pittsburgh Pirates) to Delta Dental Stadium. 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.