Sánchez No-Hitter Highlights Cats Saturday Sweep

MANCHESTER, NH – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (26-30) swept the Altoona Curve (24-32) in dramatic fashion at Delta Dental Stadium on Saturday night, 4-0 and 5-2. Afternoon showers delayed the doubleheader nearly three hours before New Hampshire’s Rafael Sánchez toed the rubber and threw New Hampshire’s fourth no-hitter in franchise history and the first since 2012, becoming just the third Fisher Cats pitcher to do it in solo fashion.

Sánchez joins Fisher Cats alums Jamie Vermilyea (2004) and Kyle Drabek (2010) to throw complete game no-hitters. Sánchez is the first Fisher Cats pitcher to throw three complete games; no previous pitcher had thrown two in a New Hampshire uniform until Sánchez did so in Binghamton on April 25 in a rain-shortened win in six innings.

Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

Playing as the Manchester Buffalo Tenders in game one, Sánchez (W, 2) dealt the third complete game no-hitter in Fisher Cats history. It was New Hampshire’s fourth no-hitter and third complete game no-hitter all-time to bring forth the Cats’ sixth consecutive win.

For the sixth-straight game, New Hampshire scored first to take control in game one. A pair of hits from left fielder Gabriel Martinez and center fielder Devonte Brown opened the bottom of the second inning with consecutive singles. Altoona's Po-Yu Chen collected two outs before Fisher Cats catcher Alex Stone drilled a three-run home run. The opposite field shot was Stone’s first Double-A homer and it gave New Hampshire an early 3-0 advantage.

The Cats would add one more run in the bottom of the third inning when right fielder Jace Bohrofen started the frame with a single before first baseman Peyton Williams poked a single of his own. With runners on first and third, Martinez sent a double to the left field corner that plated Bohrofen from third and extended the Cats’ lead to 4-0.

Sánchez retired eight of the last nine batters he faced to finalize New Hampshire’s fifth win in a row and his third complete game since joining the Fisher Cats on July 30, 2024.

Righty Grant Rogers (W, 1) got the start for New Hampshire in game two and went three scoreless innings to extend the Cats’ scoreless streak to 40 innings. Altoona second baseman Termarr Johnson ended the streak by depositing a first-pitch homer to lead off the top of the fourth inning. Rogers finished off the quality start by allowing one earned run on five hits across six innings pitched.

The Fisher Cats scored first for the seventh straight game in game two by plating a run in the bottom of the second inning. Left fielder Dasan Brown got things started with a lead-off walk before center fielder Jay Harry delivered a one-out single. That set up catcher Jacob Sharp’s single to plate Brown and put the Cats in front, 1-0.

The Cats and Curve exchanged runs in the fourth inning as Altoona's Johnson evened the scoring in the top of the fourth, 1-1. The Fisher Cats responded with a pair of two-out singles from Sharp and second baseman Eddinson Paulino to make it 2-1. Paulino's knock got away from Altoona right fielder Hudson Head and allowed Sharp to score from first on the fielding error.

The Curve tied the game again in the top of the fifth inning on a New Hampshire throwing error that allowed Curve third baseman Brenden Dixon to come in and score from second base.

Tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the fifth inning, New Hampshire loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk with one out in the frame. Martinez followed through with a sacrifice fly that was deep enough to score third baseman Charles McAdoo from third base as the go-ahead run, 3-2. The Cats’ bats did not stop there as New Hampshire called upon pinch-hitter Devonte Brown to bat for Harry. Brown then drilled a double to the left field corner to clear the bases and give the Cats a 5-2 lead.

After Brown’s double, the Curve put one runner on base as Rogers handled the top of the sixth and righty Grayson Thurman (S, 1) worked around a two-out walk to bring the Cats their sixth-straight victory for the first time since 2018.

New Hampshire enters the Sunday series finale with Altoona in hopes of their first six-game series sweep of 2025. The Cats and the Curve close the series with a 1:35 PM EDT first pitch at Delta Dental Stadium on Sunday, June 8. New Hampshire’s Ryan Watson (4-2, 3.58 ERA) and Altoona’s Alessandro Ercolani (1-5, 4.79 ERA) both get the Sunday start, as the two make their second start of the series.

Fans can purchase 2025 multi-game memberships and single-game tickets at nhfishercats.com, via email at [email protected], by phone at (603) 641-2005, and in-person at the Delta Dental Stadium box office on 1 Line Drive in Manchester.

About the New Hampshire Fisher Cats

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays and play their games at Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. Over 160 former Fisher Cats have reached the Major League level. The Fisher Cats have raised millions of dollars for various charities through the Fisher Cats Foundation and continuously strive to improve the quality of life for Granite State residents. The organization has been recognized as New Hampshire Business Review’s “Best Sporting Event to Take Clients to”, Parenting New Hampshire Magazine’s “New Hampshire’s Favorite Sporting Event for Families”, and New Hampshire Magazine’s “Best New Hampshire Sports Team”. For more information on the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, please visit nhfishercats.com, call (603) 641-2005, or contact Chris Jared via email at [email protected].