New Hampshire Hardball

Patriots 4, Fisher Cats 3

MANCHESTER – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (27-35) lost their third one-run game of the week, 4-3, to the Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees, 41-21). The Fisher Cats have lost seven straight, six of them to Somerset. The skid is New Hampshire’s longest since 2014, when they lost 11 in a row and nine of those by one run.

Shortstop Luis De Los Santos led the way for New Hampshire offensively, going 2-for-3 with a walk. In the second inning, the Dominican native crushed his second triple of the year off the wall in straightaway center field to score Will Robertson and tie the game, 1-1.

De Los Santos now has 10 multi-hit games this season, and Robertson has hits in eight of his last nine games.

Sebastian Espino also had two hits, finishing 2-for-3 with a solo homer in the fifth inning. The blast was Espino’s first in 18 games. He last went yard on May 21 at Erie.

Tied, 2-2 after six innings, Somerset tagged Braden Scott (L, 1-2) with two runs in the top of the seventh inning. Scott was promoted from High A Vancouver on June 17. He has moved from Single A Dunedin, to New Hampshire, to Dunedin, to Vancouver and now back to New Hampshire in just under three months this season.

The Fisher Cats responded with a run in the eighth inning, as Spencer Horwitz brought home Rafael Lantigua on a sacrifice fly. Horwitz had his 13-game hit streak snapped, and Lantigua smoked his 18th double of the season. He is tied with Aaron Schunk of Hartford for most doubles in the league.

Starter Trent Palmer went five innings and allowed two runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out seven, his most with New Hampshire this season. One of the two runs he allowed scored on a wild pitch in the first inning after a single and two stolen bases.

In New Hampshire’s six losses this week, they have lost by one three times and by two once. In the other two games, the teams were tied going into the ninth inning.

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