READING, Pa. — The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (14-26, 44-64) couldn’t keep up with the Reading Fightin Phils (18-25, 49-62) at FirstEnergy Stadium on Friday night, falling 10-6.
Although the Fisher Cats outhit the R-Phils 13-8, Reading scored four decisive runs in the eighth on one hit.
BOX SCORE
Seven of the 10 Cats who recorded an at-bat Friday tallied a base hit. Second baseman Michael Turconi tied a season-high with three hits, the fourth time Turconi’s reached the mark in 2024. Third baseman Charles McAdoo also smacked three hits; the Blue Jays No. 8 prospect (MLB Pipeline) now has seven in the series. First baseman Rainer Nuñez and native Pennsylvanian Ryan McCarty both had two hits. Designated hitter Devonte Brown returned from the injured list with a 1-for-4 evening and two RBIs.
New Hampshire starter Lazaro Estrada made it through three innings and was tagged for five runs on five hits. Righty Adrian Hernandez worked the fourth through sixth innings. Southpaw Ian Churchill (L, 0-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs in the bottom of the eighth.
After the Fightin Phils scored five runs in the bottom of the third, the Cats quickly responded in the top of the fourth. McAdoo stroked a leadoff single and RJ Schreck walked. Nuñez then brought McAdoo home with a single; Schreck scored on a fielder’s interference call amidst a rundown between third and home. With Nuñez on third and McCarty on second, Brown cracked a line drive single to left that scored both runners. After the top of the fourth, New Hampshire trailed, 5-4.
The Fightins counter-punched with a solo homer from Marcus Lee Sang in the top of the fifth, and the Cats answered with three straight singles from Turconi, McAdoo and Schreck, who drove Turconi home.
Reading took a 6-5 lead into the top of the eighth, when Turconi smoked his third hit of the night to plate center fielder Dasan Brown and tie the game. The R-Phils retook the lead in the bottom of the frame on a bases-loaded, three-RBI double off Churchill and tacked on one more to worsen the blow.
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