Veen 6 RBI Night in Yard Goats Loss 

Final: Reading 14, Hartford 12

WP- Braden Zarbnisky (1-1)

LP- Dylan Spain (1-2)

T- 3:19

Hartford, CT- Zac Veen tied a franchise record with six RBI, Grant Lavigne and Kyle Datres hit back-to-back home runs but it wasn’t enough as the Yards Goats fell to the Reading Fightin Phils 14-12 on Saturday night at Dunkin’ Park in Hartford. The Yard Goats had leads of 2-0 and 6-4 but the Fightins managed to come back and defeat Hartford for the fourth time in five games. Trailing by four runs in the 9^th, the Yard Goats managed two get Eastern League home run leader Hunter Goodman to the plate representing the winning run. Bladimir Restituyo extened his hit-streak to an Eastern League high 13 consecutive games. The game was played in front of 7,479 fans, the second largest crowd ever at Dunkin’ Park.

The Yard Goats flexed their muscles in the bottom of the second inning to get on the scoreboard first. Leading off the inning, Grant Lavigne tattooed a solo shot high over the wall in right field for his fourth home run of the season. Three pitches later, Kyle Datres did his best Lavigne impression, lining the ball to right field for a solo home run and giving the Yard Goats a 2-0 lead after two innings.

Reading fought back immediately. Cody Roberts and Garrett Whitley led off the inning with back-to-back doubles to put the Fightin Phils in the scoring column. Two batters later, Carlos De La Cruz drove in Whitley on a fielder’s choice to tie the game at two. Johan Rojas stepped up to the plate next, launching a two-run home run to right center field and giving the Fightin Phils a 4-2 advantage.

Just like the Fightin Phils, the Yard Goats responded instantaneously. A leadoff walk from Cristopher Navarro and an infield single from Bladimir Restituyo, put runners on first and second with no one out for Veen, who rocketed a two-RBI double into the alley in left center field. Later in the inning, Datres struck again, hitting an RBI single up the middle and into centerfield to regain the lead for Hartford. After three innings, the Yard Goats led 5-4.

Then in the bottom of the fourth inning, Veen collected his second extra base hit of the night by cranking a triple off the wall in center field to score Navarro, who walked earlier in the inning. After four frames, Hartford held a 6-4 advantage.

The Fightin Phils would strike again in the top of the fifth inning. Matthew Kroon, following a leadoff single from Ethan Wilson, connected on his second home run of the season, a two-run shot to tie the game at six.

In the top of the sixth inning, the Fightin Phils regained the lead. Rojas and Wilson led off the inning with consecutive singles. An error allowed both runners to move up 90 feet, putting two men in scoring position for Kroon, who hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Rojas. Two batters later, Nick Podkul did the same, hitting a ball to center field for a sacrifice fly, giving the Fightin Phils an 8-6 edge.

Veen collected his fourth RBI of the night and cut Reading’s lead in half in the bottom of the sixth inning. Eddy Diaz drew a walk before Restituyo rifled a single to center field, putting men at first and third for Veen, who chopped a ball to shortstop and beat out a double play, allowing Diaz to score and making it an 8-7 ballgame in favor of Reading.

The Yard Goats continued to display their resilience in the bottom of the eighth inning, as they scored three times in the frame. Cristopher Navarro pushed a sacrifice squeeze to first base, allowing Warming Bernabel, who led off the inning with a walk, to score from third. Three batters later, Hunter Goodman lined two-RBI double to left field, scoring Diaz and Veen and cutting Reading’s lead to 11-10.

Reading scored three insurance runs in the top of ninth inning, as Oliver Dunn pulled a bases clearing three-RBI triple into the right field corner, making it a 14-10 lead for Reading.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Yard Goats applied pressure, as Veen once again stroked a two-out, two-RBI single into centerfield to cut Reading’s lead to 14-12. Max Kuhns retired the potential winning run by getting slugger Hunter Goodman on a liner to end the game.

The Yard Goats and Fightin Phils play the last game of a six-game series on Sunday afternoon (1:10 PM) at Dunkin’ Park. Nick Garcia takes the hill for the Yard Goats for the second time this series after getting a no-decision and throwing five innings on Tuesday against the Fightin Phils. For Reading, Nick Nelson takes the bump to duel Garcia for the second time in this series. Tomorrow’s game will be broadcast on AM 1410, FM 100.9 and on the iheart radio app.