Yard Goats win home opener over Bowie

The Yard Goats celebrate after their win over Bowie in their home opener at Dunkin’ Park on Tuesday night. (Photo courtesy Hartford Yard Goats)

Timely hitting proved to be the key to success for the Hartford Yard Goats won their home opener on Tuesday night at Dunkin’ Park in Hartford with a 5-4 victory over the Bowie Baysox in Eastern League action.

All five of the Yard Goats runs came with two outs. With the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Yard Goats catcher Braxton Fulford stepped to the plate and delivered a clutch two-out single to drive home Warming Bernabel from third base.

The Yard Goats (2-0) scored another run on Bladmir Restituyo’s RBI single in the sixth inning.  Angel Chivilli fired a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts to earn his first save.

Hartford’s Benny Montgomery, the No. 1 draft pick (2021) of the parent Colorado Rockies, hit his first home run, a solo shot in the first inning.

Austin Kitchen picked up the win for the Yard Goats going two innings, finishing with a pair of strikeouts, a walk and one earned run on two hits.

The Yard Goats took a 3-2 lead with a pair of runs in the third inning on a two-run double by Yanquiel Fernandez.  However, Bowie tied the game with a run in the sixth inning.