The Somerset Patriots scored twice in the eighth inning to beat the Hartford Yard Goats, 3-2 and take game one of the Eastern League’s Northeast Division championship series at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, N.J. on Tuesday night.
Somerset, the Double A affiliate of the New York Yankees, can advance to the Eastern League finals with a win over the Yard Goats in the best-of-three series on Thursday at Dunkin’ Park at 7:10 p.m.
It will be the first Eastern League playoff game in Hartford and the first for the franchise since 2009 when they were in New Britain.
Somerset’s Alexander Vargas had an RBI infield single in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie.
Trailing by a run, Somerset’s Anthony Seigler led off with a walk and Elijah Dunham singled. Tyler Hartman followed with an RBI single, scoring Seigler to tie the game at 2-2. Grant Richardson reached on a bunt single to load the bases.
Yard Goats hurler Juan Mejia struck out Jared Wegner but Alexander Vargas contributed with an RBI infield single, scoring Dunham and giving Somerset a 3-2 lead. Mejia retired the final two batters.
Hartford’s Juan Guerrero gave the Yard Goats a 2-1 lead with a home run in the seventh inning and Ryan Ritter had an RBI double.
Hartford starter Chase Dollander went five innings and allowed one run on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
The Yard Goats scored the first run of the game in the third inning on a two-out RBI double by Ryan Ritter off Somerset starter Bailey Dees. Juan Guerrero led off the inning with a walk and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Braiden Ward.
Later in the inning, Ritter cracked a double down the line into the left field corner, scoring Guerrero from second base and giving the Yard Goats a 1-0 lead.
Somerset tied the game in the bottom of the third inning as Yankees prospect Spencer Jones homered off Dollander. The former No. 1 draft pick a 3-0 pitch over the right centerfield fence to tie the game at 1-1.
The Yard Goats took a 2-1 lead in the third inning on Juan Guerrero’s solo home run, an opposite field blast to left field.
On Thursday night, LHP Sean Sullivan will start for the Yard Goats and RHP Zach Messinger will start for Somerset. The game will be televised on NESN+ and broadcast on the free Audacy app and milb.tv.
Somerset 3, Hartford 2
At Somerset, N.J.
Hartford 001 000 100 — 2-4-1
Somerset 001 000 02x — 3-9-0
Dollander, Barger (6), Skipper (7), Mejia (8) and Fulford; Dees, Watson (7), Reyzelman (9) and Flores; WP: Watson (1-0); LP: Skipper (0-1); Save: Reyzelman (1); BS: Mejia (1); 2B: Ritter (H); HR: Guerrero (H), Jones (S)
