Fisher Cats walk off with 6-5 win in thrilling home opener
MANCHESTER – Five RBIs from Gabriel Moreno, including a walk-off walk in the bottom of the ninth inning, led the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to a 6-5 win over the Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees) in the home opener at Delta Dental Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Fisher Cats took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning on the first Delta Dental Stadium home run of the season. After a single by Jordan Groshans, Moreno lined a homer to right center.
Somerset picked up a run in the top of the fifth inning on a solo home run by Thomas Milone. That would be the only run allowed in the contest by New Hampshire starter Simeon Woods Richardson. In his second start, the 20-year old allowed just the one hit and one run, walked two, and matched his career-high with eight strikeouts.
Curtis Taylor (W, 1-1) picked up the win with two strikeouts in a perfect top of the ninth.
New Hampshire extended the lead to 5-1 with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. A single by Samad Taylor and a pair of walks to Austin Martin and Groshans loaded the bases. Moreno drove in two more runs with a single to center, and third run scored on a wild pitch.
Somerset scored four unanswered runs in the late innings to force a 5-5 tie heading to the ninth, when the Fisher Cats loaded the bases for Moreno on two singles and a hit batter.
The Fisher Cats will play again on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. against the Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees Double-A affiliate) at Delta Dental Stadium. Fans will receive a Magnet Schedule Giveaway
New Hampshire’s opening homestand with Somerset will be followed by a six-game series next week against the Future Red Sox from May 18-23.