New Hampshire Hardball

Fisher Cats 5, RubberDucks 2

AKRON, Ohio – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (21-29, 50-69) dropped the series finale to Akron RubberDucks (27-24, 70-49) at Canal Park on Sunday afternoon, 5-2.

Despite loading the bases in the eighth and bringing the tying run to the plate, New Hampshire left seven stranded in the final two innings and finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

With two hits through seven innings, the Fisher Cats cut the deficit to 3-1 in the top of the eighth on a bases-loaded walk from designated hitter Je’Von Ward before Akron added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Trailing 5-1 in the ninth, New Hampshire first baseman Ryan McCarty led off with a triple and scored on shortstop Cade Doughty’s groundout to make it 5-2. The Fisher Cats then brought the tying run to the plate with two outs but failed to convert and suffered a series split in Akron, three games to three.


Box Score


Offensively, New Hampshire was held to four hits as third baseman Charles McAdoo singled to extend his hit streak to six games. Right fielder Gabriel Martinez roped two singles, and center fielder Dasan Brown walked and brought his on-base streak to 11 games.

Fisher Cats starter Geison Urbaez (L, 1-3) made his fourth start of the season and pitched into the bottom of the fourth inning. Urbaez was tagged for one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts across 3 2/3 innings pitched. Devereaux Harrison surrendered two runs on two hits in 2/3 innings before Pat Gallagher replaced him in the bottom of the fifth frame. Gallagher retired all five batters he faced in 1 2/3 scoreless with one strikeout. Left-hander Kai Peterson worked out of a two-on, two-out jam with a pair of punchouts in the bottom of the seventh inning and Conor Larkin surrendered two runs on two hits in the eighth.

Making his debut in the Cleveland farm system after being traded by Toronto in July, right-hander Khal Stephen kept his former club off the scoreboard for three innings and allowed two hits while striking out two. Stephen was activated off the RubberDucks’ seven-day injured list on August 22. Righty Trenton Denholm (W, 11-5) entered in the top of the fourth inning and went on to pitch 5-2/3 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits and four walks. Reliever Steven Pérez (S, 1) recorded a strikeout in 1/3 innings to stave off the Cats in the top of the ninth with the tying run at the plate.

Top takeaways:

  • INF Charles McAdoo extends hit streak to six games
  • RHP Pat Gallagher works scoreless relief outing
  • OF Dasan Brown walks, moves on-base streak to 11 games
  • OF Gabriel Martinez goes 2-for-4, extends hit streak to five games with a single

Akron was no-hit through the first three innings before left fielder Ralphy Velazquez walked and scored on a two-out base hit from designated hitter Wuilfredo Antunez, giving the RubberDucks a 1-0 lead. Akron added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth frame when Velazquez singled in a run and later cashed in another run on a wild pitch from Gallagher to make it 3-0.

The RubberDucks plated two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth on a triple from Antunez and a sacrifice fly from first baseman Jonah Advincula, bringing the score to 5-1.

New Hampshire loaded the bases in the eighth and left them full with only one run in and had runners on first and third with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, but Akron’s Pérez picked up a one-out save to secure the Ducks’ 5-2 win.

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