Ward and Gutierrez Power Senators to Fourth Straight Win

By Greg Wong

June 13, 2018

The Harrisburg Senators (33-30) knocked off the Reading Fightins Phils (26-37) 5-3 Wednesday night at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Senators won their fourth straight game and moved to three games over .500 for the first time this season. 

The Senators jumped to an early lead with a pair of runs in the second. With runners at first and third, Osvaldo Abreu lined an RBI single to left to score the first run of the frame. The next batter, starting pitcher Wirkin Estevez, drove in his first career run with an RBI single to center.
The Senators broke the game open with a three-run seventh on a pair of home runs. With one out, Kelvin Gutierrez launched his fifth home run of the season into the left field stands. Two batters later, Drew Ward crushed a home run deep to right, his sixth of the season and second in as many nights, to expand the Senators lead to 5-0.
Austin Bossart drove in all three Fightins runs with a three-run home run in the seventh to cut the Senators lead to two.
That was as close as the Fightins would get as Roman Mendez worked a perfect eighth and ninth to pick up his fourth save and seal the 5-3 victory.
Estevez (1-3) picked up the win after throwing six shutout innings, liming the Fightins to four hits and a walk while striking out five.
Fightins starter Ranger Suárez (2-3) allowed two runs on eight hits while striking out one and walking four across six frames.
Dan Gamache went 3-5 to lead the Senators offense, his third consecutive three-hit night. Eight of the nine Senators starters recorded at least one hit.
With the win, the Senators clinched their sixth straight road series win. The four-game win streak by the Senators is their third win streak of four games or more over their past 23 games.
The Senators try for the series sweep in the final game of the road trip on Thursday night. Logan Darnell starts for the Senators while Reading counters with starter Harold Arauz. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium.The game can be heard on CBS Sports Harrisburg 96.5 & 95.3 FM and 1400 AM or at www.cbssportsharrisburg.com beginning at 7:00 p.m.