Fightins Sweep Dogs, Now Get the Cats

(Portland, ME) - What a difference a week makes. Up until Sunday in their homestand finale, the Reading Fightin Phils were stuck in a six-game losing streak in which they didn't hold a lead for more than 57 innings. After enjoying an off day on the water in Portland, the bats erupted for their four-game series against the Sea Dogs. Going for the sweep and their first five-game winning streak of the season, a first inning barrage that started with five straight hits to open the ballgame set the tone and backed up JoJo Romero for a 9-1 win at Hadlock Field.
Facing lefthander Kyle Hart for the fourth time this season, the Fightins wasted no time with singles from Jiandido Tromp and Jan Hernandez to put runners at the corners with no outs. A third single from Austin Listi made it 1-0, and doubles from Darick Hall and Zach Green tacked on three more runs for a 4-0 lead. Two batters later, Deivi Grullon added the sixth hit, and Romero started his night with a 5-0 lead.
The lefthander retired 9 of the first 11 Sea Dogs he saw, with the only blip coming on a home run from Nick Lovullo over the Maine Monster in left field in the bottom of the third. But that wasn't the first blast to left in the ballgame. In the top of the third, Listi got on for a second time with a full-count walk, and Zach Green blasted a two-run homer high over the Monster for his 12^th home run and first 4-RBI game of the season.
Romero had it all working while pitching comfortably with a 7-1 lead. With at least one strikeout in five of his seven innings, he also got help from a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Austin Rei after Luke Tendler's leadoff single in the fifth. In the sixth, Romero (5-5) walked Danny Mars to start the frame, but got another double play from Chad De La Guerra to face the minimum for the second straight inning.
The Fightins last two runs came across in the top of the seventh when they loaded the bases with one out against lefthanded reliever Josh Taylor . For the second time in the series, Hall smoked a two-run single to drive up the lead to 9-1. Hall joined Listi, Green, and Tromp with two hits apiece as the lineup totaled 11 and an incredible 21-for-41 (.512) mark with runners in scoring position during the series.
Lefthanders Josh Tols and Jeff Singer threw two hitless innings to close it out and give the Fightin Phils (31-40) their first four-game sweep since they rolled over Richmond from June 30-July 3 in Baseballtown last season. They'll open up a weekend series in Manchester, New Hampshire against the first-place Fisher Cats on Friday night at 7:05 PM.
America's Classic Ballpark is proud to be a part of Pennsylvania's Americana Region. Season tickets for the 2018 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 via www.facebook.com/fightins.