Despite two home runs from Goodman, Yard Goats fall

HARTFORD, May 4, 2023 — Yard Goats first baseman Hunter Goodman crushed two home runs and collected five RBI, but Hartford fell to the Reading Fightin Phils by a final score of 12-6 in five innings on Wednesday night at Dunkin’ Park in Hartford.

Goodman cranked a three-run home run in the first inning and then belted a two-run shot in the fourth, finishing the evening with five RBI. The Hartford slugger leads the Eastern League with seven homers and 22 RBI.

Bladimir Restituyo extended his hitting streak to a season-high 10 consecutive games. The game was called after five innings due to inclement weather.

Goodman gave the Yard Goats an early advantage with a three-run homerun in the opening frame against Reading starter David Parkinson. The Yard Goats added a fourth run on an RBI double by Bret Boswell.

However, the Fightin Phils answered with five runs in the second inning against Hartford starter Case Williams. The Fightins did their damage with six hits and two walks, with the go-ahead run coming on a Madison Stokes RBI single, giving Reading a 5-4 lead.

Reading added three more runs in the third inning on a pair of home runs by Ethan Wilson and Drew Ellis, and scored two more in the fourth inning to make it a 10-4 game.

The Yard Goats started the fourth inning with back-to-back singles by Colin Simpson and Bladimir Restituyo, and later in the inning, Goodman connected on his second home run of the game and his seventh of the season.