A RBI single from Spencer Jones drove in the winning run in the tenth inning as the Somerset Patriots advanced to the 2024 Eastern League championship series for the second time in three years as the Patriots beat the Hartford Yard Goats, 4-3 in 10 innings on Thursday night at Dunkin Park.
With the win, the Patriots, the Double A affiliate of the New York Yankees, swept the best-of-three series from the Yard Goats, the Double A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, 2-0.
It was the first-ever Eastern League playoff game for the Yard Goats at Dunkin Park and the first playoff appearance since 2009 when the franchise was called the New Britain Rock Cats.
Jones’ RBI single in the top of the tenth inning drove in Max Burt, the automatic runner that begins the inning at second base.
Hartford tried to rally in the tenth. The Yard Goats had runners on first and third base with one out but closer Jesus Liriano got Hartford’s Sterlin Thompson to ground into a game-ending double play.
Somerset will face the winner of the Southwest Division series between Akron and Erie in the EL finals that begin on Sunday.
Somerset took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a pair of errors. But Hartford starting pitcher Sean Sullivan kept his team in the game, retiring 10 of the next 11 batters including the side in the fourth and fifth innings.
Sullivan was making his eighth start since getting promoted to Hartford from Spokane, the Rockies’ Class A affiliate. He allowed just one run over his last two starts.
In the third inning, the Yard Goats cut their deficit in half when Adael Amador crushed his 15th home run of the season and first of the playoffs to right field off Somerset starter Zach Messinger, making it a 2-1 ballgame.
In the sixth inning, the Patriots increased their lead when Rafael Flores homered to make it a 3-1 game.
In the seventh inning, the Yard Goats scored two runs on back-to-back RBI-singles.
First, Bladimir Restituyo cracked a pinch-hit RBI-single into right field that scored Zach Kokoska, making the score 3-2. Then, Amador lined an RBI-single into right field that scored Bladimir Restituyo tying the game at 3-3.
Amador had four hits, including the game-tying RBI single in the ninth inning.
Change is constant – even in the middle of an Eastern League playoff run.
Since August 3, the Yard Goats added LHP Sean Sullivan, OF Juan Guerrero, LHP Brayan Castillo, RHP Blake Adams and LHP Mason Green, from Spokane and received OF Trevor Boone from Albuquerque.
Pitchers Carson Palmquist, Seth Halvorsen, Jaden Hill and outfielders Yanquiel Fernandez and Zac Veen were promoted to AAA Albuquerque.
Somerset 4, Hartford 3
At Hartford
Somerset 020 001 000 1 — 4-6-1
Hartford 001 000 200 0 — 3-8-2
Messenger, Anderson (7), Pestana (8), Lirano (10) and Flores; Sullivan, Baumgartner (6), Agnos (7), Mejia (10) and Fulford; WP: Pestana; LP: Mejia; Saves: Lirano; BS: Anderson; 2B: Kokoska (H); HR: Flores (S), Amador (H)
