MANCHESTER, NH – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (12-12, 46-45) dropped both games of a Thursday doubleheader to the Somerset Patriots (10-14, 47-46) at Delta Dental Stadium, 9-3 and 8-3. Somerset finished 10-for-18 with runners in scoring position in the two games combined to power the Thursday sweep over New Hampshire.
In game one, Somerset lefty Xavier Rivas (W, 5-4) struck out seven batters and allowed one run on one hit to hold New Hampshire’s bats quiet. New Hampshire’s Chris McElvain (L, 3-6) surrendered five runs on seven hits in four innings in the game one loss.
New Hampshire’s game two starter Gage Stanifer (L, 3-7) struck out seven batters in his five innings in game two. Stanifer had two outs in the fourth inning before allowing a two-run homer and finished with four runs on five hits in five innings. In a bullpen game, Somerset’s Harrison Cohen (W, 3-1) struck out three batters and recorded four outs as the first arm out of the Patriots’ pen.
Today’s Top Takeaways
- Fisher Cats finished 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position in the doubleheader sweep.
- New Hampshire dropped each game of the doubleheader for the first time in 2026.
- Shortstop Arjun Nimmala homered in his second consecutive game in game one, his fourth in Double-A.
- Eddie Micheletti Jr. finishes 3-for-6 with three RBIs in Thursday’s two games.
- Micheletti Jr. is hitting .359 in his 17 games this month with nine of his 23 hits good for extra bases, including four homers and 14 RBIs.
- Catcher Patrick Winkel pitched top of the seventh in each game, retired all six batters faced.
- Six different Cats record a hit in game two loss.
Game One
Somerset struck early in game one. Patriots center fielder DJ Gladney lifted a two-run homer off of New Hampshire’s McElvain to give the visitors an early 2-0 lead.
The Fisher Cats got one back on Arjun Nimmala’s second solo home run in as many days to cut into Somerset’s lead at 2-1 in the bottom of the third. Nimmala launched a 432-foot homer in Wednesday night’s game.
The Patriots pulled away with three runs in the top of the fourth and four in the top of the fifth. Somerset’s Cole Gabrielson and Owen Cobb each drove in a pair of two-out runs, and Gabrielson raced home on a pickoff error by McElvain to move game one’s score to 5-1.
In the top of the fifth, Gladney drove in two more runs with a bloop single to right field to up Somerset’s lead to 7-1. After two more runs with two outs stretched the Patriots’ lead to 9-1, Eddie Micheletti Jr.’s two-run homer finalized the score at 9-3.
Game Two
Like game one, the Patriots plated the game’s first run in the top of the first inning, and again, thanks to the efforts of DJ Gladney. Somerset designated hitter Gladney gave his club a 1-0 lead when he drove a two-out single into the outfield to plate Jace Avina from second base. The Fisher Cats tied the game in the bottom of the second inning after Carter Cunningham recorded his first Double-A triple. Second baseman Cutter Coffey plated Cunningham from third with a line drive to Somerset right fielder Cole Gabrielson and tied the game at 1-1.
The Patriots plated three unanswered runs, all with two outs to extend their lead, in the fourth and fifth innings in game two. In the top of the fourth, a leadoff Josh Moylan double set the stage for a two-out RBI single by Owen Cobb. Moylan raced home to regain the lead at 2-1. Again with two outs, second baseman Connor McGinnis jumped on the first pitch and launched a two-run homer to make the lead 4-1.
The Fisher Cats trimmed the deficit to one in the bottom of the fifth. After a Cade Doughty walk and a Nick Goodwin single against Somerset’s Ben Grable, Eddie Micheletti Jr. singled in Doughty from second to move the score to 4-2. Hedbert Perez singled to load the bases, and a Jorge Burgos RBI groundout inched the Cats to a 4-3 deficit.
Somerset quickly erased any hope with four runs in the top of the sixth inning, including a Coby Morales three-run homer with two outs to finalize the scoring at 8-3.
The series continues on Friday, July 24 with a 6:03 PM first pitch. Fisher Cats righty Austin Cates (1-4, 5.56 ERA) gets the start against Somerset’s Chase Hampton (0-3, 7.29 ERA). The New Hampshire Space Potatoes invade Delta Dental Stadium on Friday, presented by Adopt NH. Join us for Small Business Night presented by Goldman Sachs and Scout Night with postgame Atlas Fireworks. Coverage begins at 5:35 PM on the Fisher Cats Radio Network, MiLB.tv, and on the Bally Sports Live app.
Saturday, July 25 is WWE Night presented by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission. The first 1,000 fans through the gates will go home with a WWE / Fisher Cats co-branded jersey. Saturday is also Faith and Family Night at Delta Dental Stadium, with pregame testimonials from players from both sides. Be sure to stick around after the game for postgame Atlas Fireworks. Sunday, July 26 is the first Manchester Coconut Tenders game. Sunday’s game features a Manchester Coconut Tenders bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 fans, presented by Delta Dental.
Season and single-game tickets for the 2026 season are available at nhfishercats.com, via email at info@nhfishercats.com, by phone at (603) 641-2005, and in-person at the Delta Dental Stadium Box Office on 1 Line Drive in Manchester, New Hampshire.
About the New Hampshire Fisher Cats
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays and play their games at Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. Over 180 former Fisher Cats have gone on to make their Major League debut. The Fisher Cats have raised millions of dollars for various charities through the Fisher Cats Foundation and continuously strive to improve the quality of life for Granite State residents. The organization has been recognized as New Hampshire Business Review’s “Best Sporting Event to Take Clients to”, Parenting New Hampshire Magazine’s “New Hampshire’s Favorite Sporting Event for Families”, and New Hampshire Magazine’s “Best New Hampshire Sports Team”. For more information on the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, please visit nhfishercats.com, call (603) 641-2005, or contact Chris Jared via email at cjared@nhfishercats.com.