MANCHESTER, NH – Despite a strong outing from starter Gage Stanifer, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (26-23) squandered a late lead and fell to the Altoona Curve (22-30) on Tuesday night at Delta Dental Stadium, 8-3. Center fielder Jace Bohrofen and first baseman Sean Keys swatted back-to-back first-inning home runs in the loss.
Fisher Cats starter Gage Stanifer allowed two runs on four hits, surrendered a pair of walks and struck out eight batters. Stanifer compiled his fourth five-inning start in his last five outings. LHP Kai Peterson twirled two scoreless innings of relief and struck out three. Reliever Yondrei Rojas tossed a scoreless eighth and escaped a jam. RHP Sam Gardner (L, 0-1) allowed six runs on four hits and suffered his first loss with New Hampshire.
Curve lefty Connor Wietgrefe held the Cats to one run in five innings of relief with seven strikeouts. Reliever Cy Nielson (W, 1-1) struck out two batters in two shutout frames.
Tonight’s Top Takeaways:
- RHP Gage Stanifer struck out eight hitters, his second highest total in a 2026 start.
- CF Jace Bohrofen extended his hit steak to seven on his first inning home run.
- LHP Kai Peterson notched his fourth-straight scoreless outing with two shutout innings of relief.
Altoona did not waste any time plating the game’s first run. After shortstop Keiner Delgado led off the game with a walk, catcher Derek Berg doubled him in to give the Curve a 1-0 lead.
The Fisher Cats quickly bounced back with the back-to-back homers from Bohrofen (12) and Keys (13) in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 advantage.
The Curve knotted Tuesday’s game back up in the top of the third inning. The shortstop Delgado singled to lead off the frame, and center fielder Lonnie White Jr. belted a double to the left-center wall to move Tuesday’s score to 2-2.
New Hampshire rallied in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, shortstop Jay Harry knocked a triple to the right-center wall, his fourth of the season. One batter later, third baseman Nick Goodwin laced a single off Altoona shortstop Delgado’s glove for a base hit into left field to break the 2-2 tie and put New Hampshire up, 3-2.
Despite the late lead, Altoona rallied in the top of the ninth and scored six runs on four hits. After the Curve tied the game, a White Jr. fielder’s choice coupled with an error allowed two runs to cross and the Cats fell behind for the first time since the top of the first. The Fisher Cats were retired in order in the bottom of the ninth and fell in the Tuesday opener, 8-3.
New Hampshire and Altoona Curve continue the series on Wednesday, June 3 at 6:03 PM. RHP Austin Cates (1-2, 5.40 ERA) will start for the Fisher Cats and the Curve’s will counter with righty Landon Tomkins (2-1, 4.91 ERA). Coverage begins at 5:43 PM on WKXL, Bally Live, MLB.tv, MiLB.tv, and the Fisher Cats Radio Network.
Friday, June 5 is Franco-America Heritage Night. Nurse Appreciation Night is Saturday, June 6, presented by Dartmouth Health. Thanks to our friends at Delta Dental, the first 500 fans who enter the ballpark will receive a Fisher Cats Crossbody Bag. The series concludes on Sunday, June 7 with Trades Day, presented by Advantage Truck Group. It is also the first MEGA-BLAST weekend of 2026 with postgame Atlas Fireworks on Friday and Saturday.
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 170 former Fisher Cats have reached the Major League level. 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.