First Inning Deficit Curtails 'Cats In Loss

HARTFORD, CT - The New Hampshire Fisher Cats were outslugged by the Hartford Yard Goats 9-6 Saturday night at Dunkin' Donuts Park in a game that featured five home runs and a combined 18 hits.

For the second consecutive night, the 'Cats struck first. Santiago Espinal began the game with a single and later scored when Albeto Mineo laced an RBI knock to right field.
Leading 1-0, New Hampshire saw its lead evaporate in the bottom of the first. Starter Yennsy Diaz (L, 1-1) was roughed up for four runs on four hits, three of which were home runs. He would go on to tough it out for five innings.
The 'Cats made it 4-3 in the top of the second thanks to a Chad Spanberger solo home run and an RBI sacrifice fly from Kacy Clemens, but another dinger from Hartford in the bottom of the inning - a two-run shot from Bret Boswell - returned the Yard Goats to a three-run advantage.
New Hampshire made it interesting in the seventh. Trailing 8-3 at the start of the stanza, Spanberger started things with a walk. Vinny Capra singled to put two on for Brandon Grudzielanek, whose infield single up the third base line forced an errant throw and allowed a run to score. Clemens followed with an RBI base hit and Forrest Wall did the same two batters later to make it 8-6 Hartford.
The Yard Goats plated an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh and would go on to win 9-6.
Notable Performers:

• Alberto Mineo logged multiple hits for the second consecutive game and fourth time this season.
• Chad SPanberger's second inning home run was the first of his DoubleA career.
• Ty Tice worked a perfect eighth inning.

The 'Cats and 'Goats finish their four-game series Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. RHP Andrew Sopko will toe the slab for the Fisher Cats against Hartford's Ashton Goudeau. Coverage begins at 12:45 p.m. on the Fisher Cats Radio Network.