Sandberg Sends Fightins Home with 4-3 Win

Reading, PA - After Cole Irvin made waves in Thursday night's 6-3 win against the SeaWolves, the Fightin Phils got another major contribution from a youngster who started the season in Clearwater. With extra innings looming, it was Cord Sandberg who unloaded on a 3-2 pitch in the ninth inning from Paul Voelker that cleared the center field fence. It gave the Fightin Phils their fifth win at home in their final at-bat, and a 4-3 victory before a crowd of 6,218 starts the seven-game roadtrip 2-0.  
There were no baserunners for either team over the first two innings as Artie Lewicki countered José Taveras in his Double-A debut for the Fightin Phils. That quickly changed in the third when Chace Numata led off with a hard double that split the right center field gap. Sandberg got on with an infield single, and after a walk by Malquin Canelo , it was Zach Coppola coming through with a double that put Reading on top 2-0. Later in the frame, Carlos Tocci lifted a sacrifice fly into right for his 40th run batted in and a 3-0 advantage.
Taveras started his night with four scoreless innings, and nearly made it five until Gabriel Quintana mashed a home run with two outs in the fifth. In the sixth, the SeaWolves clawed back from 3-1 down, getting RBI doubles from Harold Castro and Chrsitin Stewart to tie the game at three.  Shane Watson relieved Taveras, the Phillies #21 prospect according to Baseball America, and first let up a single to Dawel Lugo. With runners at the corners, the SeaWolves lost a chance to take their first lead when Grayson Greiner hit into an inning-ending double play around the horn.  
In the bottom of the sixth, the Fightin Phils nearly took the lead back from Lewicki during his final inning. Jiandido Tromp got on with a one out double shortly before Kyle Martin blooped an infield single towards second base. Two flyouts from Chace Numata and Sandberg sent Erie manager Lance Parrish into his bullpen for the last two innings, and Zach Reininger fired two scoreless innings to send it to the ninth.
Still tied at three, Voelker got Numata to ground out to second base to inch closer towards free baseball. Sandberg put together a strong at-bat, working the count full before getting his pitch. A quick swing gave him a dramatic game-winning home run for his first longball at Double-A, and the win allowed the Fightin Phils to reclaim sole possession of second place in the Eastern Division.
America's Classic Ballpark is proud to be a part of Pennsylvania's Americana Region. Season tickets for the 2017 season are available online at Fightins.com, by phone at 610-370-BALL, and in-person at FirstEnergy Stadium. Follow the Fightin Phils on Twitter at @ReadingFightins and like them on Facebook viawww.facebook.com/fightins.