(Reading, PA) - The Reading Fightin Phils (6-3, 36-42) stayed red-hot on offense, toppling the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (5-4, 39-37) by a score of 10-4 on Thursday night, a game dominated by some of the Fightins’ newest faces.
Reading struck first in the second inning, as Jordan Dissin grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Alex Binelas. This gave the Fightins a 1-0 lead through the first pair of frames.
The R-Phils kept the momentum going in the third inning, as Riley Tirotta (1) smacked a three-run home run to left field. This plated both Binelas and Aroon Escobar to lift the Phillies’ Double-A affiliate up 4-0.
New Hampshire fought back in the fifth, jotting down a crooked number to dig into the Fightins’ lead. Jorge Burgos (4) hit a two-run home run to open up the Cats’ scoring, plating Goodwin. Hedberz Perez (3) then smacked a fly ball to right field to make for back-to-back long balls.
This sequence ejected Reading starter Kyle Brnovich from the game, as he fired 4.2 innings of three-run ball with four walks and four strikeouts in a no-decision.
The R-Phils immediately responded in the bottom half of the stanza, as newcomer Raider Tello (1) smacked a grand slam for his first Double-A hit. Escobar, Raylin Heredia and Kehden Hettiger all trotted across the plate, making the game 8-3.
The Fightins piled on more run support in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Hettiger (8) throttled his second homer of the series on a towering shot to left-center field. Tirotta came home to score, as Reading’s lead ballooned to 10-3.
Goodwin (9) lifted a fly ball to center field to cut into the lead, but the game finished at 10-4.
Estibenzon Jimenez (3-0) got his third straight win in as many appearances, tallying 1.1 innings of shutout baseball with a walk and a strikeout.
Cats starter Austin Cates (1-3) got the loss, tallying four innings of six-run ball with four walks and four punchouts.
The Fightins’ three homers put their tally up to 106 on the season, good enough for the second highest total in the Eastern League. Rincon’s on-base streak ended at 26 games, the longest since Carlos De La Cruz in 2023. Binelas extended his on-base streak to 21 games, while Escobar expanded his to 15.
Reading has won six of the last seven games and has plated nine or more runs in six straight contests. The Fightins stand alone atop the Eastern League-Northeast second half standings at 6-3, a game clear of both the Portland Sea Dogs and of New Hampshire.
The Fightin Phils return to the field on Friday against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, at 7 p.m. RHP Braydon Tucker will start for Reading, and he will go opposite RHP Danny Thompson Jr. for New Hampshire. 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, July 5, against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Friday night is a Carpenter MEGA Blast Fireworks Show, thanks to the Pennsylvania Lottery. Saturday features another Carpenter MEGA Blast Fireworks Show, sponsored by Dog Training Elite. The series ends on Sunday with a Trey Yesavage Hometown Hero Bobblehead for the first 2,000 kids, thanks to AD Moyer Lumber and Hardware.
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.