New Hampshire stops Yard Goats’ win streak

Ashley Graeter had the game-winning hit in Monday’s 15-inning win.

MANCHESTER, N.H., April 19 – The Hartford Yard Goats couldn’t extend the magic another night. Less than 24 hours after another marathon win, the Yard Goats fell to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 7-2 in Eastern League action Tuesday night before 1,987 fans at chilly Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

On Monday night, Hartford’s bullpen couldn’t sustain the lead in the seventh inning but the Yard Goats rallied for a 4-3 victory in 15 innings for their fourth straight win.

Last night, New Hampshire scored five runs in the fourth inning to crack open the contest. The Fisher Cats sent eight men to the plate. New Hampshire catcher Jorge Saez had a three-RBI double to left field that gave the Cats a 5-0 lead. Saez was 3-for-4 with four RBI.

New Hampshire took a 2-0 lead in the second inning against Hartford starter Carlos Hernandez, scoring two unearned runs on two Hartford errors.  The Yard Goats (9-4) came back with a run in the third on an RBI double by Pat Valaika. The Yard Goats closed out the game’s scoring in the fifth inning on an RBI single by David Dahl.

Ashley Graeter and Raimel Tapia led Hartford’s nine-hit attack with two hits apiece.

On Monday night, Graeter’s RBI single to left field in the 15th inning scored Ryan McMahon to give the Yard Goats a one-run lead, 4-3. Matt Carasiti, the closer out of Berlin, closed out the bottom of the 15th inning to earn his fourth save of the year. The Fisher Cats stranded 19 runners in the game.

The Fisher Cats scored the first run of the game in the first inning on a sacrifice fly off Hartford starter Zach Jemiola.

The Yard Goats tied the game on McMahon’s RBI double in the 4th inning off Fisher Cats starter Jeremy Gabryszwski.  Hartford took a 2-1 lead on Dillon Thomas sacrifice fly scoring Jan Vazquez in the fifth inning.  New Hampshire tied the game at 2-2 on a Rowdy Tellez solo homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

Both clubs exchanged runs in the seventh inning. Dillon Thomas’ sacrifice fly scored McMahon, putting Hartford ahead, 3-2.  However, the Fisher Cats tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on a Dwight Smith Jr. two-out RBI double.

After Rosell Herrera began the ninth inning with a single, New Hampshire pitching retired 18 straight Hartford batters until McMahon’s leadoff single in the 15th. 

Hartford beat Portland last Thursday, 5-2, in 17 innings — the first extra inning game in Yard Goats history.