by Per Jake Starr
(Reading, PA) – The Reading Fightin Phils (24-37) defeated the Hartford Yard Goats (32-32) 7-4 Tuesday, opening the six-game set with a commanding win. Reading has won four of its last five games.
Caleb Ricketts, a 25-year-old catcher, appeared in his first game for Reading since April 15, missing two months with an injured-list stint and rehab assignment with Jersey Shore. Ricketts worked into the two-hole and flew out to right field in his first at-bat against Hartford starter Connor Staine (L, 1-5). But he followed that with two home runs and three RBI to lead to a crushing victory.
Fightin Phils starter Braeden Fausnaught has allowed just two earned runs or less in his last three starts, finding his groove amid his first full year in Double-A. Against the Yard Goats, he allowed two hits and needed 23 pitches but came out unscathed.
Fausnaught walked a batter in the second and he came around to score on a bloop single by Nic Kent to right field, giving the Yards Goats a 1-0 lead. The Fightin Phils looked to even the score and received a boost from newcomer Nick Dunn. The second baseman was traded to Philadelphia from Seattle for cash Saturday and made his debut Tuesday.
On a 1-1 pitch in his first at-bat, Dunn waited on an offspeed and flushed it down the right-field line for a double with two outs. The next batter, Cade Fergus, struck out on a 3-2 pitch to leave Dunn at second and keep the deficit at 1-0. Ricketts fell short in his first at-bat but cranked a no-doubt shot to right in the bottom of the third, flipping the deficit into a 2-1 lead.
Both Dunn and Ricketts added juice to the Fightin Phils lineup, even without Phillies’ No. 2 prospect Aidan Miller for the fifth straight game. Now with the lead, Reading relieved Fausnaught for Nelson Alvarez in the fourth. Fausnaught allowed just one run but walked two and used up 62 pitches. Alvarez retired the side in order to keep the line moving and get the Fightin Phils back to the plate.
Reading wasted no time padding its lead. Seth Beer reached on a walk and Leandro Pineda blasted a two-run home run to increase the lead to 4-1, his fourth of the season. Staine entered with a 3.92 ERA in 11 starts but the Fightin Phils’ lefty-heavy lineup found success. After Staine exited for Bryce McGowan, Hendry Mendez, another left-hander, slapped a ball past shortstop to score another and extend the lead to 5-1.
Still against McGowan in the bottom of the fifth, Pineda doubled down the left-field line to score Beer, his second run of the game. Bechtold took over for Alvarez and continued a similar formula: trust the defense behind him to make plays. He allowed a leadoff bloop single but retired the side in order the rest of the way. Then, Ricketts blasted his second of the day to make it a 7-1 game. It marked his second two home run night of his career, following up a power display on June 6, 2024, against Harrisburg.
The Fightin Phils bullpen allowed a three-run home run in the top of the ninth but it wasn’t nearly enough to mount a comeback as Reading’s offense scored in four consecutive innings to take the series opener.
The Fightin Phils return to the field on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the Hartford Yard Goats. RHP Jean Cabrera will be on the mound for Reading, and he will go opposite RHP McCade Brown for Hartford. Pregame radio coverage is underway at 6:45 p.m. on the Reading Fightin Phils Radio Network. A video stream is available via MiLB TV or the Bally Live App.
