Fisher Cats’ Van Eyk tosses third quality start in low-scoring loss to Fightin’ Phils

READING, PA– The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (13-19) fell to the Reading Fightin’ Phils (10-21) at FirstEnergy Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, 2-1. New Hampshire righty CJ Van Eyk fired his third consecutive quality start and surrendered two earned runs after being taken out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Leading 1-0 for two-thirds of the game, Van Eyk (L, 2-4) breezed through Reading’s lineup in six innings of scoreless ball before a fielding error put Fightins shortstop Aidan Miller on base to begin the bottom of the seventh. Van Eyk gave up his first walk to designated hitter Seth Beer and Reading first baseman Keaton Anthony chopped an infield single to load the bases before Van Eyk’s departure. A sacrifice fly off New Hampshire reliever Ryan Jennings and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch plated Reading’s decisive two runs.

Drafted by Toronto in the second round in 2020, Van Eyk finished his Wednesday start with five strikeouts and one walk to continue an impressive stretch of five earned runs across 19 innings of work in three starts, a streak that dates back to April 30.

Fisher Cats designated hitter Yohendrick Piñango turned on the first pitch of the ballgame and sent it over the right-field wall for his fifth home run of the season to give New Hampshire a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Reading’s starter Moisés Chace allowed one earned run on three hits and was taken out of the game after 1-2/3 innings of work. Fightin’s relievers Mitch Nuenborn and Tommy McCollum combined for 4-1/3 scoreless, hitless frames and held New Hampshire to one base runner from the top of the third inning through the top of the sixth. Righty Travis Kuhn (W, 3-1) dealt a scoreless top of the seventh and eighth frames with one strikeout and two walks. Nelson Alvarez allowed a two-out base-hit to shortstop Eddinson Paulino but finished off the Cats with a strikeout to take game one, 2-1.

New Hampshire right-hander Hunter Gregory kept the lid on the Fightins with no runs and two strikeouts in the bottom of the eighth inning. Gregory extended his scoreless streak to 11 games, a streak that spans to April 4 since his last earned run allowed. The right-hander Gregory has tallied nine strikeouts in seven scoreless innings in the month of May, with opponents hitting .154 against him in four games this month.

Paulino recorded his second-straight multi-hit game with a pair of singles as New Hampshire posted five total hits in the contest.

Fightin Phils’ right fielder Hendry Mendez plated a run with a sacrifice fly before center fielder Cade Fergus was plunked with the bases full to put Reading in front, 2-1.