Arias Clobbers Homer as Hampton Stars in Somerset’s Win over Akron
The Somerset Patriots beat the Akron RubberDucks 8-6 at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ on Thursday evening. The Patriots improved to a second half-best tying four games over .500 (29-25) and season-best tying nine games over .500 (66-57). Somerset finds itself within 3.0 games of first-place Reading in the
The Somerset Patriots beat the Akron RubberDucks 8-6 at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ on Thursday evening.
The Patriots improved to a second half-best tying four games over .500 (29-25) and season-best tying nine games over .500 (66-57). Somerset finds itself within 3.0 games of first-place Reading in the Northeast Division with 15 games remaining in the second half.
The win moved the Patriots to 4-5 against the RubberDucks this season, including a 2-1 record at TD Bank Ballpark.
The Patriots erupted for six runs in the fourth inning, marking their fourth five-run inning in their last five games. Dating back to August 19 at Hartford, Somerset has notched five five-plus run frames to tie Akron with an Eastern League-leading 22 five-plus run innings this season.
The fourth inning featured two two-run homers from Josh Moylan and Roderick Arias, signaling the 13th inning this season the Patriots have rocked multiple homers. The Patriots notched their 52nd multi-home run game this season, moving to 37-15 in those contests. Somerset’s 52 multi-HR games are the most since the Patriots’ franchise-record 55 multi-HR games in 2023. Somerset’s 172 home runs this season rank second in Double-A and are tied for ninth in MiLB at the time of the game’s conclusion.
The Patriots went 2-for-9 with RISP, signaling the fifth straight game Somerset has recorded at least two hits with RISP. Dating back to August 8 at Akron, Somerset has notched at least one hit with RISP in a season-high tying 17 consecutive games and multiple hits with RISP in 12 of those.
The Patriots scored eight runs, marking the sixth consecutive game Somerset’s offense has scored five-plus runs. At the time of the game’s conclusion, Somerset’s six-game streak with five or more runs is tied for the longest active streak in Double-A and third-longest streak in MiLB.
Somerset’s pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts, marking the third consecutive game and fourth time in the last five contests the Patriots have punched out double-digit batters. Somerset’s .268 K% this season ranks fourth in Double-A.
Chase Hampton (@Yankees No. 22 prospect) with his best start of the season on Thursday night👀
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) August 28, 2026
4.0 IP | 2 H | 1 R | 0 BB | 6 K pic.twitter.com/ss1yQVhuxC
RHP Chase Hampton (4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K) made his first outing since August 7 at Akron and 10th overall with Somerset this season. Hampton’s six strikeouts were his most since fanning six batters at New Hampshire on July 25, while the four innings of one-run ball marked Hampton’s fewest runs allowed since four scoreless innings vs. Hartford on July 3.
RHP Tony Rossi (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K) grabbed his fourth save of the season, tying Kelly Austin for the team-lead. In his last 16 outings, Rossi has a 1.69 ERA, 4-0 record, 2 SV, 0.80 WHIP and .139 BAA with 24 K with 7 BB in 21.1 IP.
CF Jace Avina (1-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R) extended his hit streak to four games and on-base streak to five games. Avina has hit safely in four straight games for the first time since hitting in seven straight games from July 7 to July 17. During the hit streak, he’s 6-for-17 (.353 AVG) with 6 RBI and 2 BB. Avina’s seven RBI in his last five games match his seven RBI across his previous 30 games from July 12 – August 21.
Roderick Arias OBLITERATES his THIRD Double-A HR and career-high 15th HR across all levels this season! pic.twitter.com/npmMwJDGt6
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) August 28, 2026
SS Roderick Arias (1-for-5, HR, 2 RBI) blasted his third homer at Double-A and career-high 15th across all levels in the fourth inning. Arias’ 15 homers and 77 RBI this season surpass his previous career-highs of 13 home runs and 74 RBI with Tampa in 2024. In 21 games with Somerset, Arias has registered 23 hits and is slashing .274/.337/.488 with 3 HR, 16 RBI and 11 XBH. Arias has scored a run in a season-high tying nine straight games dating back to August 18.
RF DJ Gladney (2-for-4, R, SB) collected his 28th multi-hit game of the season with a pair of singles, before picking up his 18th stolen base by stealing second base in the seventh inning. Gladney extended his on-base streak to 10 games. In that span, he’s 11-for-28 (.355/.410/.613) with 2 HR, 11 RBI, 4 XBH and four multi-hit games. In August, Gladney is slashing .302/.356/.603 with 5 HR, 21 RBI, 9 XBH and six multi-hit games.
3B Coby Morales (0-for-2, 2 BB, R) extended his on-base streak to a career-high 21 games with a pair of walks. During Morales’ 21-game on-base streak, he’s slashing .319/.467/.472 with 2 HR, 6 RBI and 5 XBH.
MONSTER. MOYLAN. MASH.🤯
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) August 28, 2026
Josh Moylan CRUSHES his career-high 24th home run of the season 417 feet to give the Patriots a 3-1 lead! pic.twitter.com/laQqZ3vJsw
1B Josh Moylan (1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R) lasered his 11th homer with Somerset and 24th across all levels this season in the fourth inning. With three homers in his last six games, Moylan’s 24 home runs are tied with Garrett Martin and Tyler Hardman for the Yankees minor league lead. Reaching base safely in seven of his last eight games, Moylan is slashing .241/.313/.552 with 3 HR and 7 RBI in that span.
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Box Score
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