Patriots best Yard Goats after Hartford blows late lead

Editor’s note: Mason Linken was in attendance at Sunday's Yard Goats game as a credentialed media member.

Clouds loomed over Dunkin’ Park in Hartford, Connecticut, as several hundred fans shuffled through the gates just before the game’s 1:10 PM start time. The seats were nearly half full by game time, with those in attendance enjoying a slight breeze and high of 77. In other words, it was a great day for baseball.

The Somerset Patriots (63-56) were in town on Sunday to finish their six-game series with the Hartford Yard Goats (57-61), as the second half of the Eastern League Northeast nears its close in the coming weeks. 

Left-handed pitcher Konnor Eaton would be toeing the mound for the home team, with the Yard Goats hoping to take the rubber game in this matchup. The southpaw entered Sunday with a 4.82 ERA on the year, boasting a 4-2 record through 19 games. His adversary would be former top prospect Sean Paul Liñan, who managed a 2-8 record and a 5.74 ERA through his first 20 games of the season.

Before the action began, the Yard Goats acknowledged the bravery of local fire marshals, in honor of today’s Jr. Fire Marshal celebration. The home team took the field as the ceremony concluded, eager for action.

The Patriots' half of the first ended quickly, with Eaton working a quick 1-2-3 inning by inducing soft contact from each of the top three in the Patriots' order. That trio consisted of top prospects Core Jackson, Jace Avina, and Roderick Arias, who would finish the night with a combined 4-12 line.

The action began quickly in the bottom half of the inning for the Yard Goats, when Jared Thomas laced a two-out single up the middle. He then swiped second on a slow delivery from Liñan, and eventually scored on a Jack O’Dowd ground ball that scooted by Coby Morales’ glove at third base. The official ruling on the field determined that O’Dowd’s grounder was a hit, although Morales likely should have made the play.

Dunkin' Park, Captured by Mason Linken

Things stayed relatively quiet until the top of the third, when Eaton found himself in a one-out, bases-loaded jam. Luckily, his catcher Jimmy Obertop delivered a quick snap throw to third, nabbing Jace Avina on the 2-5-2 putout. Eaton subsequently escaped the jam on a ground ball to second base from Coby Morales.

By the bottom half of the fourth, it seemed like today’s game would be a pitchers’ duel, until the trainer was summoned to the mound during Liñan’s warmups. The right-hander seemed to be experiencing cramping in his right leg, but insisted on staying in the game. 

That decision proved costly, with the Yard Goats' sixth-hitter Dyan Jorge turning on a middle-middle slider for a two-run homer. The damage came shortly after Liñan walked the first batter of the inning, meaning it was a 3-0 lead for Hartford.

That would be the end of the night for Liñan, who finished his outing with five hits and three earned runs in three innings. He’d be replaced by RHP Luis Velasquez, who surrendered another run later that inning.

Eaton and the Yard Goats continued to coast until the top of the sixth, where Manny Palencia deposited a two-run homer into the left-field bullpen. The blast came on Eaton’s 84th pitch of the night, an inside cutter. The left-hander finished the frame, departing the game with a 4-2 lead after five and a half.

Things looked promising for Hartford’s scoring opportunities in the bottom half of the sixth, with a runner on third and one out. Yerry Rodriguez had entered the game to replace Velasquez on the mound and was staring down Hartford’s nine hitter at the plate. The right-hander delivered, and Tevin Tucker smacked a dribbler to third base. Morales fielded it cleanly and threw to the plate, where Palencia applied the tag to Skyler Messinger, preventing a run from scoring.

The Yard Goats’ lead slipped slightly in the top of the seventh, after Fidel Ulloa allowed two walks and an RBI single. The base hit came off the bat of Jace Avina, who deposited a dribbler into left field after being thrown a middle-middle fastball.

The Patriots tied things up the following inning, which was led off by a Morales single. He broke toward second base as Ulloa delivered to Palencia—who grounded a ball to third. Palencia would be thrown out at first as Morales advanced to third, but the play wasn’t over yet. Jack O’Dowd’s throw from first would get by the third baseman, allowing Morales to score. And so, it was a tie ballgame entering the bottom of the eighth.

Geoffry Gilbert relieved Rodriguez on the mound for Somerset, marking the southpaw's 25th appearance of the season. He started slowly, walking Jimmy Obertop—who was pinch-run for by Mike Antico—and allowing Dyan Jorge to reach on an infield single. It was Messinger who stepped to the plate next, delivering a perfect sacrifice bunt down the third-base line after failing on his first attempt.

Zach Kokoska singled immediately after, driving home Antico and moving Jorge to third. Jorge quickly scored as well, coming home on a well-executed safety squeeze from Tevin Tucker. The eighth concluded with the Yard Goats holding onto a 6-4 lead.

Hoping to close out the win, manager Robinson Cancel called on Victor Juarez for the top of the ninth. The right-handed pitcher was greeted by back-to-back doubles from Jackson Castillo and Core Jackson, leaving runners on second and third. Jace Avina then walked, bringing Roderick Arias to the plate with no outs.

A switch-hitter, Arias took his at-bat from the left side against Juarez, working a four-pitch walk to drive in a run. The damage wasn’t done yet, with another run coming home on a DJ Gladney sacrifice fly to left field.

Somerset again loaded the bases off a Morales single, before bringing home another run on a Palencia RBI single between the third baseman and shortstop. Juarez retired the next hitter on strikes before losing control of a breaking ball that hit Connor McGinnis on the foot. With the Patriots taking an 8-6 lead, Juarez’s night was done.

He would be relieved by Nathan Blasick, who would induce a groundout to third base from Jackson Castillo. The right-hander wasn’t able to do so before a defensive error, though, allowing a run to score on an errant pickoff play to second before even throwing a pitch.

Gilbert remained on the mound in the bottom half of the ninth for Somerset and secured the win with a 1-2-3 inning. All three outs were hard-hit: a lineout to left by GJ Hill, a lineout back to Gilbert by Thomas, and a flyout to the fence in left field from O’Dowd.

With their comeback victory, the Patriots sealed the series win over the Yard Goats and moved within 2.5 games of a second-half championship in the Eastern League Northeast.