Power Surge Jolts Dunkin' Donuts Park in Goats Win

HARTFORD- The baseball conjecture around new Dunkin' Donuts Park was whether it would be a "launching pad" when the weather turned warm.On Friday night with a game time temperature of 82 degrees, Hartford and Akron combined for eight home runs, the Yard Goats emerging with an 8-7 comeback win. 

Josh Fuentes' first Eastern League home run, a two-run blast over the left-field fence, in the last of the eighth inning, gave the Yard Goats their first and the final lead of the night. It was Hartford's third home run. Anthony Phillips' three-run home run to right-field tied the game, 4-4, in the last of the second. Ashley Graeter also homered for Hartford to lead a 12-hit onslaught.
The Rubberducks, defending EL champions, stunned the sellout crowd of 6,803, even before they settled into their seats. Mike Papi, Yu Chang and Eric Haase slugged consecutive home runs in the first inning, to give Akron a 4-0 lead. Home runs by Dorssys Paulino and Chang rounded out the Rubberducks power surge.
However, that set the stage for Fuentes' eighth inning heroics. "I was just trying to get a pitch to hit and help our team," the Yard Goats third baseman said of his game-winning blast.
It was left for Yard Goats closer James Farris to finish the job, and he did it with a flair, striking out the side for his sixth save and preserving the win for the newest Yard Goat, reliever Huascar Brazoban.
Game two of the series is Saturday night at Dunkin' Donuts Park. RH Parker French (2-3) will pitch for Hartford against LH Thomas Pannone (0-0) for Akron. The game can be heard on AM 1410 WPOP or on iHeart radio.