(Reading, PA) - The Reading Fightin Phils (28-38) fell 10-6 to the Hartford Yard Goats (38-27) at FirstEnergy Stadium on a night that saw seven home runs. The Yard Goats hold a 3-0 lead in the series with a magic number of one to clinch a playoff spot.
The Phillies' top pitching prospect, Gage Wood, tossed three innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts.
Hartford drew first blood in the opening frame, as Conner Capel (10) smacked a two-run home run to left-center field. This brought home Dyan Jorge to give the Yard Goats an early 2-0 lead.
Reading answered in the bottom half of the second inning, as Pedro León knocked home Erick Brito on an RBI double. Aroon Escobar followed suit, as the Phillies’ no. 4 prospect singled home both Luke Ritter and León to give the Fightins a 3-2 lead.
The R-Phils struck again in the third stanza, as Raylin Heredia (11) smoked a ball to left field for his career-best 11th long ball of the season. This solo home run made the score 4-2.
Heredia (12) pummeled another solo shot in the fifth, expanding Reading’s lead to 5-2.
Hartford fought back in the sixth inning, as Capel (11) kept on his torrid pace with a two-run home run, scoring Andy Perez. This closed the gap to one-run, making for a 5-4 ball game.
The Colorado Rockies’ Double-A affiliate kept churning momentum in the seventh frame, as Roc Riggio’s RBI single scored Jimmy Obertop. Andy Perez and Conner Capel tacked on RBI knocks of their own, plating Jorge and Perez to give the Yard Goats a 7-5 nod.
In the bottom half of the inning, Alex Binelas (14) smacked a solo home run to left-center field to cut the lead in half.
Hartford expanded the lead in the eighth inning, as GJ Hill (9) socked a two-run home run to score Jimmy Obertop and give the Goats a 9-6 advantage.
Roc Riggio (9) capped off the night with an extra insurance run in the form of a solo home run in the ninth. That would cap off the scoring.
Davison Palermo (3-3) got the win, retiring five hitters and allowing just two hits with a strikeout.
Daniel Harper (0-1) took the loss, giving up a pair of earned runs over 1.1 innings of work.
Heredia smacked two home runs for Reading, while Capel capped off a two-game stretch where he had five long balls with two more.
The Fightin Phils return to the field on Friday against the Hartford Yard Goats, Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, at 7 p.m. RHP Luke Russo will start for Reading, and he will go against RHP Jake Brooks for Hartford. Pregame radio coverage is underway at 6:40 p.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 Hartford Yard Goats. Friday features fireworks sponsored by Love It Here, Go Local. Saturday is a Carpenter MEGA Blast Fireworks show, thanks to RM Palmer Company. The series and homestand end on Sunday with the first 3,000 men 18 & older receiving a Father's Day Golf Shirt Celebrating 60 Seasons of Phillies Affiliation, thanks to Redner's Markets & Quick Stops, "Preferred Grocery Store of the R-Phils."
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.