Cats' Bichette homers to headline big night

For the fourth time this week, there is a different name atop the Eastern League hits leaderboard. And for the second time this week, it's Bo Bichette, who leapfrogged two Double-A New Hampshire teammates to get to the front of the list.
The Blue Jays' second-ranked prospect homered and doubled while going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs on Friday in the Fisher Cats' 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Trenton Thunder at ARM & HAMMER Park. The performance raised his batting average to .285 and was his seventh three-hit showing this year.

Bichette has a league-leading 88 hits, one more than fellow Fisher Cat Jonathan Davis. With three knocks against Portland on Monday, the 20-year-old eclipsed then-leader Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s total of 83.
Guerrero, the top Blue Jays prospect, has been stuck on that number since June 6 after a strained left patellar tendon landed him on the disabled list. On Tuesday, 28th-ranked Toronto prospect Davis took the top spot while hitting for the first cycle in club history.
Bichette and Davis are also in a five-way tie for the league lead with 21 doubles, and Davis ranks first with 64 runs to Bichette's second-best 60. Bichette is the league's stolen base leader with 24, and Davis is next on the list with 19.
Each member of the trio earned invitations to the Eastern League All-Star Game, although Guerrero -- MLB.com's No. 2 overall prospect -- is not expected to participate.
Gameday box score
After grounding out to second base in his first at-bat Friday night, Bichette smacked a one-out double to left off Thunder starter Dillon Tate in the fourth and scored on Max Pentecost's sacrifice fly to right. The No. 8 overall prospect jumped on the first pitch he saw in the sixth and poked a single through the right side before coming around to score on Harold Ramirez's homer.
With Jon Berti aboard and the Fisher Cats down, 6-4, in the eighth, Bichette stepped in against Brady Lail and again attacked the first offering, driving the ball over the fence in left-center for his eighth homer to tie the game. The Orlando, Florida, native had a chance to give New Hampshire its first lead with the bases loaded in the ninth but bounced into a forceout, again swinging at the first pitch.

Davis went 0-for-4 with a walk to bring his average to .303.
Trenton walked off on Mandy Alvarez's infield hit with one out and runners at the corners in the 10th. Billy Fleming went 4-for-5 with two doubles, and three RBIs for the Thunder.
Tate, the Yankees' No. 9 prospect, surrendered four runs on five hits and a walk over six innings, bringing his ERA to 3.48 -- 11th-best in the Eastern League.