Phils make it back-to-back shutouts of Squirrels

The Richmond Flying Squirrels mustered just three hits against the Reading Fightin Phils, falling, 5-0, on Saturday at The Diamond.

It was the second consecutive shutout loss for Richmond (32-53, 9-9) and the 10th shutout loss of the season. The Flying Squirrels have not scored a run in 20.1 straight innings dating back to the second inning of Game 1 of Friday’s double-header.

All five runs for Reading (52-35, 13-7) came against Brandon Beachy (Loss, 3-5) in the fifth inning. After Austin Bossart led off with a double and Jose Antequera walked, Bailey Falter (Win, 6-5) laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners to scoring position. Beachy later walked Luke Williams to load the bases before forcing in a run by walking Darick Hall.

With the bases still loaded and two outs in the fifth, Grenny Cumana smacked Beachy’s first offering over the left-field fence for a grand slam to put the Fightin Phils up, 5-0. Dillon McNamara entered and finished the frame with a strikeout.

Beachy allowed five runs on six hits in 4.2 innings, striking out four while issuing four walks.

Falter fired seven scoreless innings for Reading, yielding just two hits while striking out six and walking two. He retired 13 batters in a row between the second and seventh innings. Aaron Brown finished the shutout for the Fightin Phils with two scoreless frames.

Bryce Johnson finished the game 0-for-2 with a walk to extend his on-base streak to 10 games.

The Flying Squirrels complete their series against the Reading Fightin Phils on Sunday at The Diamond when right-hander Brandon Lawson (2-4, 4.04 ERA) is scheduled to face right-hander Mauricio Llovera (3-3, 4.26 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m., and coverage begins with the Flying Squirrels Pregame Warmup at 12:35 p.m. on Sports Radio 910 the Fan and 105.1 FM.

As part of the 10 memorable past players series, the first 1,000 fans 14 & younger to arrive through the Squirrely Gates will receive a “Baby Giraffe” hat celebrating the nickname of former Flying Squirrels first baseman and National League All-Star Brandon Belt. Gates open at Noon.

Fans can go exploring Funnville with popular PBS Kids character Nature Cat on Sunday, presented by Community Idea Stations. Nature Cat will be available for meet & greets and to pose for photos throughout the game on the Funnville Fan Zone Main Stage.

Tickets are on sale now for the 2019 Eastern League All-Star Week presented by Genworth. The All-Star Week festivities begin on Sunday with Mayor Levar Stoney’s All-Star Week Kickoff on Brown’s Island, followed by the All-Star Country Music Jam on Monday headlined by Big & Rich with special guests Cowboy Troy, DJ Sinister and Mickie James & the Heaters at Virginia Credit Union LIVE! at Richmond Raceway. The Celebrity Home Run Derby is Tuesday, and the festivities wrap up with the 2019 Eastern League All-Star Game on Wednesday.

For tickets or more information, call 804-359-3866 (FUNN), visit SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets or stop by the Flying Squirrels box office.