Richmond 3-8-0Hartford 4-7-0WP- Ty Culbreth (2-1)LP- Logan Webb (1-1)S- Ben Bowden (3)T- 2:27A- 6.082
Richmond 3-8-0
Hartford 4-7-0
WP- Ty Culbreth (2-1)
LP- Logan Webb (1-1)
S- Ben Bowden (3)
T- 2:27
A- 6.082
HARTFORD- Ty Culbreth won his second game of the season, Ben Bowden pitched out of a ninth-inning jam and Vince Fernandez' home run turned out to be the difference, as the Hartford Yard Goats downed the Richmond Flying Squirrels, 4-3, Wednesday, before a sellout crowd of 6,082 at Dunkin' Donuts Park. It was the third sellout on Hartford's first home stand. The Yard Goats are off to their best start at the gate, drawing 37,801. Hartford (6-8) concluded a 5-2 home stand with back-to-back series wins.
Culbreth pitched five innings, yielding two runs on three hits, walking three and striking out a season-high seven. Bowden, the Lynn, MA native, pitched around two ninth-inning singles by striking out the side. Four Hartford pitchers struck out 14 Richmond batters. Fernandez, who had three hits for the second straight game, homered for the fourth time on the home stand. Arvicent Perez added a single, double and two RBI.
Richmond (6-5) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a game-opening triple by Levi Michael and Ryan Howard's sacrifice fly. The Yard Goats came right back in their half of the first against starter Logan Webb. With two outs Tyler Nevin walked, Fernandez reached on an infield hit, Perez delivered an RBI-double down the right field line and Willie Abreu followed with a run-scoring single. Webb helped his own cause with an RBI-single against a drawn in infield in the fifth. However, Hartford got the run back, when Fernandez launched his fourth home run of the season into the upper deck in right center in the sixth.
Philip Diehl flung two scoreless innings in relief of Culbreth, but the Squirrels touched Logan Cozart for a run in the eighth on a lead off single by Howard, a walk and an RBI-single by pinch hitter Chris Shaw of Stoneham, MA. That set the stage for the dramatic ninth inning.
Hartford opens a three-game series at New Hampshire on Thursday at 6:35 PM. RHP Rico Garcia will start for the Yard Goats. RHP Yennsy Diaz gets the nod for the Fisher Cats. The game will be broadcast on News Radio 1410AM, on 100.9 FM, and on the Internet on newsradio1410.iheart.com and on MiLB.com.
