Yard Goats Rally Falls Short in New Hampshire

Final: New Hampshire 11, Hartford 8

WP- Adam Kloffenstein (5-5)

LP- Colten Schmidt (0-1)

S- TJ Brock (6)

T- 2:44

Manchester, NH- Trailing 11-1 after three innings, the Yard Goats scored seven unanswered runs and batted the tying run in the eighth inning, but fell to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 11-8 on Tuesday night at Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, New Hampshire. Fisher Cats closer TJ Brock was called upon with runners at the corners in the eighth inning, and retired all four batters faced for the save. Kyle Datres extended his hit-streak to a season-high 15 games, and the Yard Goats bullpen allowed just two runs in 6.2 innings of work. The Yard Goats have lost five in a row, and seven of nine after starting the second half at 7-4.

The Yard Goats scored the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Hunter Goodman in the first inning off New Hampshire starter Adam Kloffenstein. Goodman drove in three runs and leads the Eastern League with 73 RBI. The Fisher Cats responded with four runs in the bottom of the first off Hartford starter Colten Schmidt with an RBI double by Damiano Palmegiani and a two-run single by Phil Clarke.

The Fisher Cats added six runs in the second inning on six hits. Alan Roden had a two-run triple, Palmegiani had an RBI single, Rainer Nunez added an RBI double and Riley Tirotta finished the rally with a two-run single.

The Yard Goats were behind 11-1 going to the fourth inning. Hunter Goodman scored Grant Lavigne on a sacrifice fly, and then Hartford added a pair of runs in the fifth inning on RBI’s from Kyle Datres and Lavigne. The Goats took advantage of two errors in the seventh inning and rallied for three more runs to make it 11-7. Kyle Datres contributed with an RBI double. Hartford began the eighth inning with consecutive doubles by Warming Bernable and Julio Carreras to make it 11-8. After Kyle Datres was hit by a pitch, the Yard Goats had runners at the corners and the tying run at the plate in Lavigne. Brock came in and struck out Lavigne, and then retired the side in order in the ninth inning for his fifth save.

The Yard Goats play the second of a six game series on Wednesday afternoon (12:05 PM) against the Fisher Cats in New Hampshire. RHP Case Williams will start for the Yard Goats and RHP Sem Robberse will pitch for the Fisher Cats. The game will be broadcast on AM 1410, FM 100.9 and on the iheart radio app. The Yard Goats return home to Dunkin’ Park for their next homestand on Tuesday, August 1^st to host the Reading Fightin Phils.