Yard Goats Fall to Fightins in Final Regular Season Home Game
WP: Sam Carlson (2-0)
LP: Sam Weatherly (2-6)
Hartford, CT - Zach Kokoska crushed his 45th career homer with the Yard Goats but the Hartford Yard Goats fell to the Reading Fightin Phils 6-2 in front of 6.431 fans on Sunday afternoon at Dunkin’ Park. The Fightin Phils took an early 4-0 lead in the first on a pair of two-run home runs by Pedro Leon and Raider Tello. Kokoska gave the Yard Goats their only two runs of the game when he smashed a two-run home run to the upper deck in right field in the fourth. Colorado Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros went 2-4 with two singles and a walk in a major league rehab appearance. Yard Goats reliever Cade Denton came on in relief of starter Sam Weatherly and fired 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits with three strikeouts and one walk. The Yard Goats travel to Somerset to conclude the regular season with a six-game series against the Patriots that starts on Tuesday and return to Dunkin’ Park for the the second game of the Eastern League Divisional series on Thursday September 17th at 6:30 pm.
Reading opened the scoring in the top of the first when they scored four runs off Yard Goats starter Sam Weatherly. First, Leon hit a two-run home run, his 14th of the season, giving the Fightin Phils a 2-0 lead. Two batters later, Tello hit a two-run home run, his third of the season, extending Reading’s lead to 4-0.
The Yard Goats got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Kokoska cranked a two-run home run off Reading starter Braydon Tucker. Kokoska’s 45th career homer with the Yard Goats landed in the upper deck in right field and cut the Fightin Phils lead to 4-2.
The Fightin Phils added to their lead with two runs in the top of the eighth when Carson DeMartini hit a two-run single, extending Reading’s lead to 6-2.
The Yard Goats conclude the regular season with a trip to Somerset, New Jersey to begin a six game series against the Somerset Patriots beginning on Tuesday night at 6:10 pm. LHP Bryson Hammer will pitch for the Yard Goats. The game will be broadcast on the free Audacy app, iHeartRadio app and the Yard Goats website and streamed on MiLB.TV.