Schreck (not Shrek) hits two Saturday homers for Fisher Cats
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (16-21) won both games over the Reading Fightin Phils (12-23) at FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday night, 8-7 and 4-3. New Hampshire outfielder RJ Schreck clubbed a home run in each game in the Saturday sweep, as all five games between the Fisher Cats and R-Phils have bee
READING, PA – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (16-21) won both games over the Reading Fightin Phils (12-23) at FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday night, 8-7 and 4-3. New Hampshire outfielder RJ Schreck clubbed a home run in each game in the Saturday sweep, as all five games between the Fisher Cats and R-Phils have been settled by one run this week.
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
New Hampshire’s Ryan Watson (3-2) earned the win in an offense-heavy contest in game one. Watson allowed six earned runs on 10 hits in 5-1/3 innings and finished with six strikeouts before Conor Larkin secured the Fisher Cats win with two strikeouts in a five-out save, his first in 2025.
Reading’s Chuck King gave up six earned runs on eight hits and three New Hampshire home runs, while Andrew Bechtold (0-2) fell in line for the loss with two runs allowed on two hits.
New Hampshire’s Schreck knocked his fifth home run of the season and first of two homers on Saturday with two outs in the top of the first inning in game one to put New Hampshire in front, 1-0. Reading’s Keaton Anthony and Hendry Mendez doubled in the bottom of the second off Watson to tie game one at 1-1, and right fielder Leandro Pineda singled Mendez in from second to give the Fightins a 2-1 lead.
Fisher Cats designated hitter Yohendrick Piñango homered on the first pitch of the top of the third inning to move game one back to a deadlock, 2-2. Reading second baseman Trent Farquhar doubled to lead off the bottom of the third and came in to score on a double play and give the Fightins the lead back at 3-2.
After New Hampshire failed to score in the top of the fourth, Reading threatened to pull away in game one with a two-run home run by third baseman Felix Reyes to move the score to 5-2 after four innings. The Fisher Cats responded with a six-run frame in the top of the fifth, an effort started by a solo home run from second baseman Ryan McCarty to trim the deficit to 5-3. With Reading’s starter King still in the game, Schreck singled for his second hit of the game and left fielder Jace Bohrofen walked, before a balk by King moved both runners into scoring position.
First baseman Peyton Williams drove both runners in with a one-out single to right field and tied Saturday’s first game at 5-5. Reading turned to the right-hander Bechtold, who pitched in 29 games for New Hampshire in 2024. Third baseman Cade Doughty doubled Williams to third and center fielder Dasan Brown singled in the Reading infield to load the bases. Williams came in to score on a bases-loaded balk by Bechtold, the second Reading balk of the inning, to give New Hampshire a 6-5 lead. The Fisher Cats loaded the bases back up after shortstop Jay Harry was walked intentionally to reload the bases. New Hampshire forced two more runs in on bases-loaded walks from McCarty and Fisher Cats catcher Jacob Sharp to end the six-run inning and left with an 8-5 lead.
The Fightins would prove to have another run-producing effort in their tank; with the starter Watson still in the game in the sixth inning, Reading catcher Paul McIntosh walked and came in to score on a Pineda double, which was misplayed by New Hampshire’s Piñango. Reyes singled in Pineda from second and drew New Hampshire’s lead back to one run at 8-7, but New Hampshire’s Larkin shut the door with a five-out save and preserved the win.
Devereaux Harrison, New Hampshire’s game-two starter, struck out six batters in 5-2/3 innings and surrendered one run on three hits in game two. Harrison (W, 2-4) departed with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning and set up New Hampshire’s Hunter Gregory (S, 3) for a four-out save.
Fightins southpaw Braeden Fausnaught (L, 2-4) gave up four runs and a pair of homers on seven hits in game two. Reading received scoreless relief efforts from Tommy McCollum and Travis Kuhn in game two.
As in game one, the Fisher Cats plated the first runs in game two. After designated hitter Yohendrick Piñango led off the game with a single, right fielder Jace Bohrofen and center fielder Devonte Brown singled with two outs to give the Fisher Cats an early 1-0 lead.
Reading third baseman Luis Verdugo poked a leadoff home run in the bottom of the third inning to tie Saturday’s second game at 1-1. The Fisher Cats reclaimed the lead on a first-pitch solo home run by Bohrofen in the top of the fourth inning, his sixth home run of the season. Leading 2-1, New Hampshire’s Schreck knocked a two-run, two-out home run down the right-field line to stretch the Cats’ lead to 4-1. With a .340 average in 15 games in May, 11 of Schreck’s 17 hits this month have been for extra-bases.
New Hampshire sent the starter Harrison out for two outs in the bottom of the sixth and picked up his sixth strikeout before he departed with the bases empty in a 4-1 lead. The Fisher Cats’ reliever Gregory gave up a double to right fielder Leandro Pineda and a two-run homer to designated hitter Josh Breaux to dwindle the New Hampshire advantage to 4-3. Gregory claimed his third save with a strikeout in the bottom of the seventh to complete the Saturday sweep.
