Yard Goats Open Road Trip with Victory in New Jersey

Final: Hartford 5, Somerset 4

WP: Mason Albright (3-3)

LP: Zach Messinger (2-3)

S: Seth Halvorsen (3)

Time: 2:51

Attendance: 8,260

Bridgewater, NJ- The Hartford Yard Goats defeated the Somerset Patriots 5-4 on Tuesday night at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, New Jersey in the first of a six-game series. The Yard Goats faced 2023 Cy Young Award Winner Gerrit Cole who pitched 3.1 innings, and allowed singles to Adael Amador and Braiden Ward, and struck out five in a Major League rehab assignment with the New York Yankees. The Yard Goats went to work against reliever Zach Messinger scoring five runs en-route to their seventh win in eight games. Yard Goats starter Mason Albright pitched into the sixth inning and allowed just two runs while earning his third win of the season. Adael Amador hit a solo home run, his fifth of the year, and Warming Bernabel had two hits and two RBI in the Hartford victory.

Gerrit Cole started for the Patriots on a MLB rehab assignment and allowed a leadoff single to Adael Amador in the first inning. Amador went on to steal second base but was left stranded at third base as Cole struck out two of the next three batter faced. He pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, and allowed two hits with no walks and five strikeouts in his first outing of the season.

Somerset took a 1-0 lead on Anthony Seigler’s leadoff home run in the third inning off Hartford starter Mason Albright. However, the Yard Goats tied the game against reliever Zach Messinger in the fourth inning on an error, catcher’s interference and a wild pitch.

The Yard Goats took a 3-1 lead with a pair of runs in the sixth inning. A leadoff walk and error set up a sacrifice fly by Yanquiel Fernandez and an RBI single by Warming Bernabel. After the Patriots got a run on a wild pitch in the sixth inning, Hartford made it 5-1 with two more runs in the eighth. Adael Amador led off the frame with a home run and later in the inning Bernabel cracked a two-run double.

Somerset pulled to within a run by scoring twice in the eighth inning on a two RBI single by Grant Richardson against reliever Jaden Hill. Hill struck out Seigler to end the inning. Seth Halvorsen worked a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his third save.

The Yard Goats will continue the series against the Somerset Patriots at TD Bank Ballpark on Wednesday night at 6:35 PM. RHP Connor Van Scoyoc will start for the Yard Goats and RHP Bailey Dees will pitch for Somerset. The game will be broadcast on the free Audacy app.