(Reading, PA) - The Reading Fightin Phils (14-13) pulled off a chaotic comeback, defeating the Somerset Patriots (12-16) by a score of 14-12 at FirstEnergy Stadium on Tuesday. The Fightins erased multiple steep deficits in a game that saw 24 total runs, 37 hits and six home runs.
The Patriots, who lead the Eastern League in home runs, hit their 50th of the season on a Marco Luciano (9) two-run shot to open up the scoring in the first inning. A DJ Gladney RBI double, scoring Coby Morales, then gave Somerset a 3-0 advantage after half of a frame.
The Patriots kept the bats rolling in the next inning, as Luciano’s RBI double scored Garrett Martin. This was Luciano’s second extra base hit and third RBI to start the game already. Morales’ RBI single, plating Jackson Castillo, gave the Patriots a 5-0 nod.
The Fightins fought back in the bottom half of the second inning, as an Aroon Escobar RBI single sent Raylin Heredia home to open up Reading’s scoring effort. Dylan Campbell, who hit .318 last series, stayed hot at the plate with an RBI single to score Binelas. This trimmed the lead to 5-2.
Somerset kept the scoring party lights on, as an Owen Cobb RBI single scored Gladney to make the score 6-2.
The Patriots struck yet again in the fourth, as Tyler Hardman (8) smacked his eighth home run of the season. The long ball extended the Yankees affiliates’ lead to 8-2.
The R-Phils clawed back in the bottom half of the inning, putting up one of the better single-inning offensive performances this season. Escobar (3) smacked a solo home run for his second homer in as many series. Campbell kept the train moving, plating Jordan Dissin (who replaced Kehden Hettiger this inning) on an RBI single. Then, with the bases loaded, Bryan Rincon (5) rifled a grand slam over the left field wall to knot the contest up at eight apiece.
Jace Avina (8) broke the stalemate with a solo home run in the fifth inning. Hardman followed suit, scoring Luciano with an RBI single before Gladney singles to score Morales. Somerset led this contest 11-8 after five innings.
Cobb improved the lead with an RBI double, scoring Hardman and making the game 12-8 heading into the seventh inning stretch.
The Fightins battled back in the bottom of the seventh on a Jordan Dissin RBI single, scoring Escobar, but the R-Phils offense left the bases loaded to freeze the score at 12-9.
Reading struck again in the eighth inning to cap off a comeback that will go down as one of the more dramatic sequences in this team’s history. Binelas singled home DeMartini to push to Fightins to their 10th run of the game. Escobar then doubled down the line to score Heredia, bringing the game to within one run. Up stepped former Texas Longhorn Dylan Campbell (4), who socked a go-ahead three-run home run to give the Fightin Phils the lead.
The R-Phils erased a six-run deficit and a four-run deficit en route to a dramatic victory that pushed them back above the .500 mark. There were six total home runs in this game.
Jack Dallas (1-0) got the win after tossing a shutout eighth inning, allowing one hit and one walk. Will Brian (0-1, BS 1) was hit around, relinquishing five earned runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout for his first defeat of the year.
Campbell and Escobar both notched four-hit performances, while Heredia, Binelas and Rincon all had a pair of knocks for Reading. The Patriots bats were hot in their own right, with Martin, Luciano, Morales, Hardman, Gladney, Manny Palencia and Cobb all had multiple hits.
This is now the latest the Fightins have been above .500 in a season since 2019, when they stamped their ticket to the playoffs.
The Fightin Phils return to the field on Wednesday against the Somerset Patriots, Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, at 6:45 p.m. RHP Gabriel Barbosa will start for Reading, and he will go opposite RHP Cade Smith for Somerset. Pregame radio coverage is underway at 10:40 a.m. on the Reading Fightin Phils Radio Network. A video stream is available via MiLB TV or the Bally Live App.
The Fightin Phils remain home through Sunday against the Somerset Patriots, Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. Tuesday is an 11 AM Education Day Game, thanks to Baseballtown Charities and MLB Play Ball. Wednesday features a 90's Baseball Tribute with "Sandlot" Cobranded Merchandise Available. Thursday night is an Animated Racecar Tribute with "Cars" Cobranded Merchandise Available. Friday night features fireworks, sponsored by your local Kia dealers. Saturday is the first Carpenter MEGA Blast Fireworks show of the season, thanks to Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center, honoring our Extraordinary Staff During Nurses and Hospital Week. The series ends Sunday with a Mother's Day Tote Bag giveaway for the first 2,000 women 18 & older, presented by Reading Hospital McGlinn Cancer Institute.
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.