Offense produces 10 runs to open Erie series with a win
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (24-28) opened a six-game series against the Erie SeaWolves (28-22) with a 10-5 win at UPMC Park on Tuesday night. In his first Double-A game, second baseman Ryan McCarty recorded a double and a home run and drove in three runs to help power the Tuesday win.
ERIE, PA. — The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (24-28) opened a six-game series against the Erie SeaWolves (28-22) with a 10-5 win at UPMC Park on Tuesday night. In his first Double-A game, second baseman Ryan McCarty recorded a double and a home run and drove in three runs to help power the Tuesday win.
McCarty was promoted to New Hampshire from High-A Vancouver and made an immediate impact, finishing 2-for-4 with his first professional Double-A homer in the top of the fifth. The 25-year-old also combined with shortstop Josh Kasevich to turn a double play.
Center fielder Garrett Spain and first baseman Rainer Nuñez also homered in Tuesday’s win. Spain blasted his team-leading eighth home run to put the Cats on the board in the top of the second. Nuñez led off the top of the sixth with a solo shot to left field.
Left-handed starter Trenton Wallace (W, 3-1) allowed two runs on four hits through five innings and picked up five strikeouts. Erie’s Troy Melton (L, 1-5) allowed four runs on seven hits through his five innings and gave up a pair of Fisher Cats homers.
Erie quickly took a 1-0 lead on an RBI double from Hao-Yu Lee off Wallace. After six Erie batters saw a plate appearance in the first inning, Wallace retired his next 11 batters consecutively, including four strikeouts.
The Fisher Cats responded with a pair of runs to take the lead in the top of the second. With two outs, Gabby Martinez singled to set the stage for Spain’s two-run home run to take a 2-1 lead. That score would hold until New Hampshire extended its lead in the fifth. After McCarty’s solo homer, Alex De Jesus notched a two-out double to plate Kasevich and push the New Hampshire lead to 4-1.
Erie knocked a run back in their favor with a leadoff solo home run from Eliezer Alfonso, his third of the season, to move the score to 4-2. The Fisher Cats nullified the Erie home run with a leadoff homer from Nuñez, his fourth since May 7, to reclaim a three-run lead at 5-2.
Left fielder Alan Roden manufactured another Cats run in the top of the seventh. The 2023 Blue Jays organization hitter of the year led off the inning with a double, advanced to third on a flyout to right field, and scored on a wild pitch to add to the Fisher Cats lead, 6-2.
Erie scored in the bottom of the seventh on a rather confounding play. With runners on first and second and two outs, SeaWolves right fielder Carlos Mendoza hit a deep fly ball to right. Devonte Brown juggled the ball, then collided with the outfield wall and dropped the baseball. Mendoza over-ran the Erie runner on first, who had stopped in the basepath. The runner on second came around to score before the final out. After seven innings, New Hampshire led, 6-3.
