Bye Bye Goats

(Reading, PA) - Thursday's series finale between the Fightin Phils and Yard Goats went quickly once again, with starters Mauricio Llovera and Brandon Gold flying through the first few innings. Yet for the second time in the series, the 'Goats came back from a two-run deficit and managed to win. A trio of two-out home runs proved to be the difference, with Vince Fernandez hitting a game-tying two-run shot in the sixth inning to chase Llovera. Brian Serven broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh, and Alan Trejo put it out of reach with a three-run shot in the eighth. Gold provided the other dinger, becoming the first Yard Goats pitcher in franchise history (dating back to 2016) to hit a home run.
Gold led off the third inning with a homer to left for his first career hit, breaking the scoreless tie after Llovera stranded a pair of runners in scoring position to end the top of the second. On the mound, Gold didn't break much of a sweat, firing four hitless innings to protect the lead while Reading's only baserunner during that stretch came when Jose Gomez reached on an error from shortstop Ryan Metzler .
In the fifth, Darick Hall was hit by yet another pitch to put the tying run aboard to start the inning. A balk and a groundout to the right side got him to third base, where Gomez would tie the score with a sacrifice fly to left. Raul Rivas ' single and the first hit in Llovera's second career plate appearance continued the inning for Mickey Moniak , who scored both runners with a double off the right field wall for a 3-1 lead.
Llovera came within one out of his second 6-inning start, but was chased from the game when Vince Fernandez snuck an opposite field two-run home run to left to tie the score at three. In the seventh, Connor Brogdon's Fightins debut changed quickly when Serven broke the tie with his third homer after Brogdon had started (0-1) the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
The 'Goats put it away in the eighth when they started a two-out rally with a single from Colton Welker and a walk to Fernandez. Two pitches later, Trejo hit a three-run shot, giving the Yard Goats four homers in the same game for the second time this season. Before this 7-3 loss, R-Phils pitchers hadn't allowed more than two homers in the same game.
America's Classic Ballpark is proud to be a part of Pennsylvania's Americana Region. Season tickets for the 2019 season are available online at Fightins.com, by phone at 610-370-BALL, and in-person at the Weidenhammer Ticket Office at FirstEnergy Stadium. Follow the Fightin Phils on Twitter at @ReadingFightins, Instagram at @fightins, and like them on Facebook via www.facebook.com/fightins.