Lineup not enough against Fisher Cats

The Reading Fightin Phils (33-17) fell behind early and their comeback was halted as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (22-26) won 11-8 on Sunday night. Reading fell behind 10-2 after three innings before scoring six runs over the final six innings.  

The Fisher Cats scored two runs off Ricardo Pinto (1-2) in the bottom of the first to take a 2-0 lead. Jon Berti hit a RBI double then scored on a wild pitch. Jesmuel Valentin hit a RBI single in the top of the second off John Anderson to cut the Fisher Cats lead to 2-1.

New Hampshire scored five runs in the bottom of the second to take a 7-1 lead. The Fightin Phils committed three errors in the inning. Pinto left the game after going just 1 1/3 innings. Will Morris entered the game in relief of Pinto. Jorge Alfaro hit a RBI single off Anderson in the top of the third to cut New Hampshire's lead to 7-2.

The Fisher Cats scored three runs off Morris in the bottom of the third to extend their lead to 10-2. Reading answered back with four runs off Anderson in the top of the fourth to cut New Hampshire's lead to 10-6. Carlos Alonso hit a RBI single that was followed by a sacrifice fly from Alfaro. Dylan Cozens hit a two-run home run following Alfaro's sacrifice fly.

Melky Mesa hit a solo home run off Morris in the bottom of the fourth to extend the Fisher Cats lead to 11-6. Reading made it 11-7 off Jason Berken (1-5) in the top of the sixth as KC Serna scored on a ground-out by Carlos Alonso. Jake Fox scored on a wild pitch by Berken in the top of the seventh to bring Reading within three runs, 11-8.

Joely Rodriguez tossed three scoreless innings in relief and he struck out five batters. Matt Dermody would earn his first save of the season as he recorded the final two outs in the top of the ninth inning.  

The Fightin Phils and Fisher Cats wrap up their series on Memorial Day. First pitch is at 1:35 pm from Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. Fans can listen to the game on Sports Radio AM 1240/FM 98.5 and fightins.com at 1:05 pm.  

Tickets for the 2016 season are available online at Fightins.com, by phone at 610-370-BALL, and in-person at FirstEnergy Stadium.