(Manchester, NH) - The Reading Fightin Phils (18-18) swept the road doubleheader away from the New Hampshire Fischer Cats (21-13) by scores of 4-2 and 3-2 to knot this seven-game set up at two apiece. Five of the 11 combined runs in this twin bill were registered in the sixth and seventh innings, the final two frames of a pair of abbreviated contests.
Reading drew first blood in a rather unorthodox fashion. Aroon Escobar drew an E1 (throwing error) off of Gage Stanifer, who bounced the ball over to first base on a pickoff attempt to send Bryan Rincon running home. This gave the Fightins a 1-0 advantage in the first frame.
The Fightin Phils doubled down in the third inning, as Escobar swatted a single up the middle to score Dylan Campbell. This was the Phillies’ no. 4 prospect’s 21st RBI of the young season and made the game 2-0.
New Hampshire had its back against the wall in the sixth inning of a seven-inning contest, but Victor Arias (3) clubbed a two-run home run to right field to score Arjun Nimmala. This knotted the contest up at 2-2 after six.
Reading immediately answered in the seventh to retake the lead. Austin Murr (5) smacked a two-run shot of his own, plating Bryson Ware to push the R-Phils ahead 4-2.
Alex McFarlane slammed the door in the seventh, working around a leadoff walk to give the Fightins their first win of this series.
McFarlane (2-1) claimed his second win of the season with the scoreless frame, and he forced a double play to give Reading win no. 17 of the campaign. Mason Olson (2-1) entered the loss column, allowing a pair of runs over two innings with two strikeouts for the FIsher Cats.
Murr’s homer marked Reading’s 52nd of the season, the second most in the Eastern League and a mark high enough for fourth-best in Double-A.
New Hampshire lifted the scoring lid in the back half of this twin bill, as a Jay Harry (1) solo home run pushed the Cats out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
The Fightin Phils answered in the bottom half of the frame, as Raylin Heredia smacked his 15th double (best in Double-A) of the season to score Alex Binelas. This knock tied up the contest at 1-1 through two innings.
Binelas broke the stalemate on a two-run double, as a hard-hit ball that missed home run status by a couple of feet would plate both Dante Nori and Rincon. This gave Reading a 3-1 lead through five innings.
This time the Fisher Cats answered, as Nimmala stretched a single from corner to corner on a fielding error by Raylin Heredia. Arias did his job right afterwards, scoring Nimmala on an RBI groundout to make it a 3-2 ball game. That would be all of the scoring for today’s doubleheader.
Luke Russo (5-1) claimed his team-best fifth win of the season with a remarkable start. The 2023 16th round pick relinquished just one earned run on four hits with six strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work. Austin Cates (0-1) took the loss in his second Double-A appearance, allowing three earned runs on as many hits with four walks and three punchouts in 4.1 innings pitched.
Evan Gates (1) meandered around some on-base traffic to log his first save of the 2026 season and the 17th of his professional career.
Binelas and Nimmala were the only two batters to log multiple hits in this contest.
Reading’s pitching was remarkable wire-to-wire, allowing just four total runs on 13 hits over 14 innings of work. The Fightins’ pitching staff has given up just seven runs over the last 21 innings of work, dating back to Wednesday night’s 3-2 defeat.
With back-to-back victories, the second place Fightin Phils sit just four games back of the Fisher Cats, who have the Eastern League-Northeast Division lead halfway through May.
The Fightin Phils return to the field on Saturday against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Double-A affiliate of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, at 1:05 p.m. LHP Adam Seminaris will start for Reading, and he will go opposite RHP Jackson Wentworth for New Hampshire. A video stream is available via MiLB TV or the Bally Live App.
The Fightin Phils return home from Tuesday, May 26, through Sunday, May 31, against the Harrisburg Senators, Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Tuesday and Wednesday are both Education Day Games, presented by Baseballtown Charities and MLB Play Ball. On Thursday, the first 2,000 kids (12 & under) receive a Hersheypark Admission Ticker. Friday features fireworks, thanks to Vertex Mechanical. Saturday showcases a Mega Blast Fireworks show, sponsored by Countryside, as well as an appearance from Joey Chestnut. The series ends on Sunday with an R-Phils 6-7 T-Shirt, thanks to Custom T-Shirts Ink.
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.