Rock is solid but Yard Goats Drop a Pair

Game 1: Erie 1, Hartford 0

WP- Sawyer Gipson-Long (6-5)

LP- Joe Rock (1-5)

S- Blake Holub (2)

T- 1:29

Game 2: Erie 9, Hartford 2

WP- Keider Montero (8-2)

LP- Andrew Quezada (1-4)

T- 2:01

ERIE, PA- Hartford left hander Joe Rock turned in one of his best outings of the season, but the Yard Goats dropped a doubleheader to the Erie SeaWolves, 1-0 and 9-2, Sunday afternoon. Rock tossed six-innings in the first game of the seven-inning contest, striking out five and walking one. He allowed only two hits, but one of them was a lead-off home run in the fifth inning to Ben Malgeri. Meanwhile, Erie starter Sayer Gipson-Long pitched five innings and struck out six, allowing the Yard Goats four hits. Kyle Datres, Hunter Goodman, Jordan Beck and Braxton Fulford each had a hit for Hartford.

In the second game, Julio Carreras tripled and scored on a balk in the second inning to tie the game with Erie 1-1. A 432-foot home run off the video board in right center by Erie's Wenceel Perez, off of Yard Goats starter Andrew Quezada, snapped the deadlock in the third inning. Quezada allowed three runs in three innings of work in suffering the defeat. A one-out double by Niko Decolati and an RBI-single by Datres in the fifth inning, cut the SeaWolves lead to 3-2. Erie added an insurance run in the fifth and broke the game open with five runs in the sixth.

The Yard Goats return home to Dunkin' Park on Tuesday night (7:10 pm) to host the Somerset Patriots, the AA affiliate of the New York Yankees in a six-game series. RHP Nick Garcia will start for Hartford. The game will be broadcast on AM 1410, FM 100.9 and on the iheart radio app.