The Somerset Patriots scored two ninth inning runs to squeeze past the Akron RubberDucks 3-2 at 7 17 Credit Union Park in Akron, OH on Wednesday night.
The win moved Somerset to 4.0 games back of first-place Reading in the Northeast Division with 34 games remaining, while advancing the Patriots to 16-19 in one-run games.
Somerset used three straight two-out hits in the ninth to earn its fourth win this season when trailing after eight innings.
Somerset’s four ninth inning hits tied a season-high for the third time, while its two ninth inning runs were the most since plating four ninth inning runs on July 26 at New Hampshire.
Somerset’s pitching staff struck out 11 batters, marking the second consecutive game with double-digit strikeouts and the third time in the last four games notching 10-plus punchouts.
LHP Xavier Rivas (6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 K) worked his second consecutive quality start and fourth quality start in his last five outings. Rivas tossed a season-high 92 pitches, notching his 10th consecutive outing surrendering two or fewer runs. Xavier Rivas’ fourth quality start of the year marked Somerset’s 18th this season, ranking fourth in the Eastern League.
Since June 11, he’s tallied a 1.18 ERA, 4-1 record, 0.81 WHIP and .120 BAA with 57 K to 19 BB in 45.2 IP across nine outings. Rivas leads all qualified full season MiLB arms in ERA and BAA across that stretch. Since the beginning of July, he’s posted a 1.45 ERA, 2-1 record, 0.94 WHIP, .136 BAA with 40 K to 15 BB in 31.0 IP across six outings. Rivas has allowed just three earned runs across his last four starts. In that span, he’s registered a 2-0 record, 1.17 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, .122 BAA with 30 K to 11 BB in 23.0 IP.
Rivas worked at least five innings for the seventh time in his last eight starts, firing six-plus strikeouts for the 12th time this season. At the time of the game’s conclusion, Rivas’ 114 punchouts rank third in the Yankees minor league system and in the Eastern League.
RHP Tony Rossi (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K) struck out the side in the eighth inning en route to earning his third win of the season. Across his last nine outings, Rossi has a 1.50 ERA, 2-0 record, 0.83 WHIP and .146 BAA with 11 K in 12.0 IP.
RHP Luis Velasquez (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, SV) earned his first save with Somerset since May 3, 2024 vs. New Hampshire (824 days). Velasquez extended his scoreless streak to 8.1 innings since July 9 when he made his Double-A season debut vs. Reading. In that span, he’s posted a .185 BAA across eight outings.
3B Coby Morales (1-for-3, 3B, BB, SB, R) smacked his fourth triple of the season, before scoring on an RBI single from Luis Durango for Somerset’s first run of the game in the eighth inning. Since the start of July, Morales’ four triples lead Double-A and are tied for second in MiLB at the time of the game’s conclusion. Morales’ 42 XBH rank second in the Yankees minor league system, while his four triples are tied for third.
RF DJ Gladney (0-for-2, BB) extended his on-base streak to a team-leading nine games with a walk in the fourth inning. During his on-base streak, he’s slashing .405/.436/.730 with 3 HR, 6 XBH and 10 RBI.
RF Luis Durango (1-for-1, RBI) pumped a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth inning to score Morales from third. Across eight Double-A games this season, Durango is 7-for-19 with 3 R, 2 XBH, 4 RBI, 3 SB and a BB.
SS Roderick Arias (2-for-4, 2B) doubled in the seventh, before singling in the ninth to record his first multi-hit game at Double-A. Dating back to his time in Hudson Valley, Arias has hit safely in six straight games. In that span, he’s 10-for-24 (.417 AVG).
LF Jackson Castillo (1-for-3, 2B, BB) rocked a double to lead off the fifth inning, extending his on-base streak to six games. During Castillo’s six-game on-base streak, he’s reached safely in 11 of 27 plate appearances (.407 OBP).
1B Josh Moylan (1-for-4, 2B, R) pounded a two-out double in the ninth inning, before scoring the game-tying run. Across his last 14 games, Moylan is 17-for-52 (.327) with four XBH and nine RBI.
C Miguel Palma (2-for-4, RBI, R) tied the game 2-2 in the ninth inning on a two-out RBI double. With a single and double, Palma recorded his eighth multi-hit game of the season. Across his last 18 games, Palma is batting .313/.361/.582 with 5 HR, 8 XBH and 15 RBI.
2B Connor McGinnis (1-for-4, RBI) laced a go-ahead RBI single in the ninth inning to center field, extending his hit streak to five games. With hits in six of his last seven games, McGinnis is 8-for-26 (.308 AVG) in that span. Across his last 41 games dating back to his first Double-A homer on June 16 at Portland, McGinnis is slashing .268/.337/.463 with 6 HR, 16 XBH and 23 RBI.
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Box Score
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