Ryan McBroom drew the first-ever walk and scored the first run in Hartford’s Dunkin’ Donuts Park.
A number of former Vancouver Canadians contributed to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats‘ three-game sweep of the Hartford Yard Goats, helping them climb over the .500 mark at 5-4 and spoiling the Connecticut team’s first weekend at Dunkin’ Donuts Park.
Ryan McBroom will go down in Dunkin’ Donuts Park history on two fronts as the first player to draw a walk and the first to touch home plate as the 2014 Vancouver Canadian would score on a Reese McGuire sacrifice fly in the top of the second inning in the series opener April 13. McBroom would chip in with an RBI double in the fourth and would draw another walk.
2014-15 C’s infielder Gunnar Heidt put his name in the Hartford record books by becoming the first player to homer at Dunkin’ Donuts Park with a two-run blast as part of a three-hit night. 2014 Vancouver outfielder Roemon Fields also contributed with two singles and a run scored.
The first winning pitcher at the new park was 2012 C’s outfielder Carlos Ramirez as he struck out three over two perfect frames.
The middle game of the series saw 2014 C’s shortstop Richard Urena immediately atoning for an 0-for-4 performance in the series opener with a first-inning double and he would score the game’s first run on a two-run single by Emilio Guerrero that also scored Anthony Alford. New Hampshire would regain the lead in the second when Heidt walked and eventually scored on an error. Urena would then bring home another with a sacrifice fly. Fields would double home a pair in the fourth to give the Fisher Cats the lead for a third time and would eventually scored on a Tim Lopes base hit.
2014 C’s outfielder Jonathan Davis clubbed his first Double-A home run, going back-to-back with McGuire in the seventh to put New Hampshire into double digits in the run column. Fields followed with a double and would score on an error.
2015 Canadians righty Francisco Rios got the victory to improve to 2-0 despite allowing five runs on six hits and two walks over 5-1/3 innings. The 21 year-old from Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico gave up a home run but just three of the five runs were earned. He struck out five and induced seven groundball outs.
The series finale Saturday saw New Hampshire get the jump on the Yard Goats with a five-run second inning. McBroom and Heidt got on base with a single and a walk and they came in to score on a Raffy Lopez triple. Davis would single home Lopez and score himself on a Lopes double. Urena also singled during the big inning. McBroom would add another run-scoring single to help the Fisher Cats complete the three game sweep. He is hitting .333 with an on-base-plus-slugging percentage just one point shy of .900.
Jon Harris got his first Double-A victory in his second start. The 2015 C’s hurler gave up four home runs, three as a result of two homers, over 5-1/3 innings. He yielded six huts and walked three but struck out six with five groundouts.
Tim Mayza earned his first hold of the season with 1-2/3 shutout innings Saturday.
A pair of 2014 C’s lefties were called upon to get the final 11 outs. Tim Mayza stranded a runner for Harris and walked just one batter over 1-2/3 shutout innings that included a strikeout and a pair of groundouts. Jose Fernandez did cough up a run over two innings on three hits and a walk but he did strike out four to earn his second save of the year. So far, the 24 year-old from Mao, Dominican Republic has a K-BB total of 12-3 in six innings.
The Fisher Cats will give the ball to 2013 C’s lefty Shane Dawson and 2014 Canadian Sean Reid-Foley over the next two days in Trenton as they look to stay over the .500 mark.
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