Fisher Cats Overcome 4-1 Deficit to Force Extras

Manchester, NH - The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays Double-A affiliate) rallied from down three runs to force extra innings, but the Trenton Thunder (New York Yankees) scored twice in the eleventh for a 6-4 win on Friday night at Delta Dental Stadium.
The Fisher Cats (0-3) scored the game's first run in the first inning. Josh Palacios led off the game with a double down the third base line. Three batters later, designated hitter Riley Adams  singled him home for a 1-0 lead.
Trenton (2-1) tied the game in the third and took the lead in the fifth inning. Wendell Rijo reached on a single to start the third and a double by Chris Gittens brought him home. Six consecutive Thunder hitters reached to start the fifth, chasing Fisher Cats starter Willy Ortiz . Three consecutive run scoring hits by Ben Ruta, Gittens and Kellin Deglan made it 4-1.
Thunder starter Garrett Whitlock was cruising along, retiring 13 batters in a row, until the Fisher Cats put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth inning. Nash Knight  reached on a hit-by-pitch, Adams singled and Brock Lundquist  singled Knight in. Alberto Mineo  followed with another base hit to cut the lead to 4-3.
The Fisher Cats would tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Lundquist walked and stole second base, setting up a two-out, game-tying base knock by Logan Warmoth  to center field. Warmoth, the 22nd overall pick in the 2017 draft, finished 2-for-5. 
Trenton earned the win with a pair of runs in the top of the eleventh inning. Mandy Alvarez hit a double to produce one run and Zack Zehner added a sacrifice fly to make it 6-4. Domingo Acevedo (W, 7-1) earned the win with two innings of scoreless relief for the Thunder.
Acevedo induced a foul pop by Palacios with two men on in the last of the 11th to secure the win. Bryan Baker  (L, 2-5) took the loss for New Hampshire.
Jackson McClelland,  first out of the New Hampshire bullpen, worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam without allowing a run in the fifth inning. He set down three consecutive Trenton hitters to keep the score 4-1. Relievers Jake Fishman and Dany Jimenez  each tossed two flawless innings.

The Fisher Cats and Thunder meet again on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. We will welcome kids who participated in the Oral Health Challenge from Northeast Delta Dental, and an Atlas Fireworks Show follows the game. Tickets and information are available at nhfishercats.com.