Orelvis strikes again! Martinez ties home run record in New Hampshire win

Hartford, Conn. – Orelvis Martinez led the Fisher Cats back to winning ways on Tuesday night at Dunkin Donuts Park, as he had his fourth two-homer game of the season. New Hampshire (17-23, 48-61) got their first win in 10 days with a 5-1 victory over the Hartford Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies, 20-19, 63-45).

Martinez homered in his first at bat against Hartford’s first two pitchers: starter Noah Gotsis and reliever Austin Kitchens. In the first inning, Gotsis got ahead in the count before Martinez smoked a pitch over the left field fence, putting New Hampshire up, 2-0.

After a pitching change and a walk started the sixth inning, Martinez took the first pitch from Kitchens the opposite way, clearing the high right field. The blast doubled New Hampshire’s lead to 4-0.

Orelvis’ two long balls put him tied for the most home runs in a single season in Fisher Cats history. Martinez has 27 this season, just like Chip Cannon in 2006 and Eric Thames in 2010. Martinez is also tied with Erie’s Quincy Nieporte for the most homers in the Eastern League.

During Martinez’s power display, Davis Schneider had two hits, and he’s tied his season-long hit streak at five games. He pushed a single into a double in the fifth inning and reached second on some savvy baserunning in the seventh, too. Schneider is 7-for-22 since returning from the development list on August 10.

Fisher Cats starter Adam Kloffenstein (W, 1-5) threw 5.0 shutout innings, giving up just two singles. He walked three batters and struck out four. Kloffenstein worked out of a bases loaded jam with a strikeout in the bottom of the first, and he left runners on second and third in the second inning.

Jake Elliott threw 3.0 frames after Kloffenstein and allowed one unearned run in the sixth. Grant Lavigne tripled and scored on a throwing error for Hartford’s only run of the night. Elliott faced two batters over the minimum and had a strikeout.

In the ninth, Sebastian Espino mashed a line drive homer and put the finishing touch on the Fisher Cats’ 5-1 win. New Hampshire has now snapped their season-long seven-game losing streak. They are 8-5 versus Hartford this year.

New Hampshire continues their series at the Yard Goats tomorrow, August 17 at 7:05 p.m. The Fisher Cats return home on Tuesday, August 30 for a six-game series 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.