(Richmond, VA) - A home run from Virginia Native Carson DeMartini was not enough as the Reading Fightin Phils (22-16; 52-55) fell 6-2 to the Richmond Flying Squirrels (20-17; 63-42) on Saturday night at CarMax Park. It was the R-Phils' second-straight loss, and they dropped to 3-2 in this week's six-game series.
Reading struck first in the top of the second when DeMartini launched a solo home run. It was his fifth of the season and first since returning from the injured list earlier this week.
From there, it was all Flying Squirrels. The home team tagged Reading starter Braydon Tucker (L, 7-7) with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. Sabin Ceballos reached via a leadoff walk and moved to third on a double from Maui Ahuna. Jose Astudillo singled home Ceballos, and then Ty Hanchey followed with an RBI single to score Ahuna and make it a 2-1 Richmond lead.
Richmond then tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth, chasing Tucker from the game. Astudillo reached on a one-out single, and Hanchey followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Astudillo scored on a sac bunt from Jean Carlos Sio, and then Trevor Cohen launched his second Double-A home run to make it 5-1.
The teams then traded runs in the fifth frame to make it a 6-2 edge for the Flying Squirrels. Bryan Rincon and Pedro Leon singled to start the inning, then Raylin Heredia singled to load the bases. With the bases juiced, Alex Binelas struck out, then Aroon Escobar plated Rincon on a sac fly, but DeMartini went down on strikes to end the inning.
Saul Teran remained in the game in the bottom of the fifth and allowed a double to Ahuna, who then moved to third on a ground out. Teran then fired a wild pitch, which scored Ahuna and made the score 6-2, which held until the end of the contest.
Following Tucker, Teran allowed one run over 1.1 innings of work. Mavis Graves followed with two perfect innings, then Christian McGowan fired a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth inning to cap off a solid night for the Fightin Phils bullpen.
Tyler Switalski (W, 1-3) started for Richmond and allowed two runs on six hits over five innings of work, along with four walks and five strikeouts. Marques Johnson followed with two innings of scoreless work in relief, then Ryan Vanderhei finished off the game with two shutout innings.
Reading returns to the field on Sunday at the Richmond Flying Squirrels at 5:05 p.m. RHP Reese Dutton will get the start for Reading, and he will go against LHP Jack Choate for Richmond. A video stream is available via MiLB TV or the Bally Live App.
The Fightin Phils return home from Tuesday, August 11, through Sunday, August 16, against the Chesapeake Baysox, Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. On Tuesday, the first 2,500 adults receive a Rocky Colavito Baseballtown Hall of Fame Reading Indians Bobble Head, thanks to FirstEnergy. Wednesday is SU2C "Stand Up To Cancer" and Fightin Cancer Night with the R-Phils Wearing Fightin Cancer Jerseys. Thursday and Friday both feature fireworks, with Thursday's show sponsored by Recovery Awareness Night thanks to Berks Counseling Center and SOS Berks and Friday's by PSECU. Saturday is the 28th Annual Harley Night with a R-Phils Harley Game Cap Giveaway for the first 2,500 adults, along with postgame fireworks, thanks to American Crane and Equipment Corporation. The series ends Sunday with a R-Phils Team Photo for the first 2,000 kids with a pre-game player autograph session for kids at 4 PM, thanks to Berkshire Hathaway.
Tickets to all games are available at rphils.com/tickets, by calling 610-370-BALL or in-person at the Customers Bank Ticket Office.
The 2026 R-Phils season is presented by Pepsi. Follow the Fightin Phils on Twitter @ReadingFightins, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Instagram @Fightins.