Yard Goats Return to First Place with Extra Innings Win 

Final: Hartford 9, Somerset 5 (10 innings)

WP- Will Gaddis (3-0)

LP- Carson Coleman (0-1)

T-3:12

A-3,933

Somerset, New Jersey- Daniel Montano had five RBI’s, including a three run home run to highlight a four-run 10th inning, as the Hartford Yard Goats defeated the Somerset Patriots 9-5 in 10 innings on Wednesday night at TD Bank Ballpark in Somerset, New Jersey. Tyler Hill had the go-ahead pinch-hit single in the 10th inning, helping move the Yard Goats into first place, one game ahead of the Yankees affiliate with four games remaining in the first half. The winner of the series will clinch the First Half of the Eastern League’s Northeast Division, and earn a spot in the playoffs in September. The Yard Goats have won eight consecutive road games and 19 of their last 22 away contests.

The Yard Goats rallied for four runs in the 10th inning to beat Somerset for the second straight game. Aaron Schunk was the automatic runner at second base and Kyle Datres was hit by a pitch to start the rally. Willie MacIver sacrifice bunt advanced runners to second and third. Tyler Hill then cracked a pinch-hit RBI single, scoring Schunk to give Hartford a 6-5 lead. Later in the inning, Daniel Montano smashed a three-run homer over the right-center field fence to make it 9-5.

Somerset scored a pair of runs in the second inning to take a 2-0 lead. Brandon Lockridge led off with a solo home run off Yard Goats starter Karl Kauffmann and Michael Beltre tripled home Jesus Bastidas for the second run. Hartford got a run back in the third inning on Aaron Schunk’s RBI single and it was 2-1. The Patriots responded with a run on a sacrifice fly by Lockridge in the bottom of the inning and it was 3-1 Somerset after three innings.

The Yard Goats scored four runs in the sixth inning to take a 5-3 lead. Nick Decolati was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Hunter Stovall tied the game with an RBI single to make it 3-3. Montano followed with a two-run single and it was 5-3 Yard Goats. Somerset scored a run in the sixth and a run in the eighth to force extra innings.

The Yard Goats continue their six-game series on Thursday night (7:05 PM) at TD Bank Ballpark in Somerset, NJ. RHP Mitch Kilkenny will start for the Yard Goats and RHP Sean Boyle will start for the Patriots. The broadcast can be heard on AM 1410 WPOP and FM 100.9 and on the iheart radio app. The Yard Goats return to Dunkin’ Donuts Park on Tuesday, June 28th (7:05 PM) and will host the New York Mets affiliate, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.