Smith powers Fisher Cats

Smith’s team-best sixth big fly came with two outs and the game tied 4-4 in the eighth. The East Greenbush, N.Y. native belted a no-doubter to left field off of reliever Joel Cesar (L, 0-1).

The Fisher Cats jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a first-inning score. Forrest Wall wasted no time extending his hitting streak to a season-high 12 games by doubling to start the game. He went to third on an out and then scored when Nash Knight hit grounded out to the second baseman to make it 1-0.

A Hunter Owen home run tied things in the bottom of the second, but New Hampshire regained the lead in the top of the third. Wall hit his second two-bagger of the day to start the stanza and scored on Knight’s RBI single.

Both teams scored a pair in the fourth. The Fisher Cats did so with three hits – including an RBI single from Smith and a run-scoring bloop double for Wall – to go up 4-1 but the Yinzers answerd with two in the home half via a two-out, two-RBI single from Jason Delay.

Yennsy Diaz made the start for New Hampshire and went 4.2 frames, allowed four runs on five hits, walked four and struck out six. He allowed the tying run to score in the fifth after a lead-off walk, a sac bunt and a two-out RBI single.

Tayler Saucedo (W, 2-0) inherited the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth and the game tied 4-4. He struck out the lone batter he faced in the inning to preserve the tie and went on to work 2.1 scoreless and hitless stanzas.

Danny Young pitched a scoreless eighth and retired one batter in the ninth before Ty Tice (S, 3) came on to get the final two batters en route to securing a 5-4 win for the Fisher Cats.

Notable

• Forrest Wall’s 12-game hitting streak is the longest active streak in the Eastern League. His three doubles are the most in a game by a Fisher Cat player this season.
• Kevin Smith recorded three hits for the sixth time this year.
• Riley Adams extended his hitting streak to 10 games – the second-longest active stretch in the circuit – with a first-inning double and added a single to go two-for-five.
• Christian Williams doubled and singled.

The series continues Saturday night. RHP Hector Perez (4-2, 5.44 ERA) will go for the Fisher Cats while LHP Sean Brady (2-2, 4.81 ERA) gets the ball for Altoona. Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. and continues with the first pitch at 6:00 p.m. on the WGIR Fisher Cats Radio Network.