The Reading Fightins (28-39) completed a three-game sweep of the Richmond Flying Squirrels (34-33) with a, 5-4, victory in front of 8,040 at The Diamond on Sunday afternoon. The Squirrels established two franchise records on the day, as their losing skid extends to a record seven games. However, the Squirrels were well supported the entire weekend, and the franchise established a new record for attendance in a three-game series. The total attendance for the weekend was 26,941, which broke the previous mark from the team’s inaugural season in 2010.
The Fightins came out swinging against Richmond lefty Jack Snodgrass in the top of the first inning. The first four batters all recorded singles as Reading took a 2-0 lead. Derrick Mitchell started the ballgame with a line-drive single to center field. Edgar Duran followed with a hit-and-run single through the right side of the infield. Albert Cartwright also singled to right field to plate Mitchell. Jim Murphy then rolled a single into left field to bring in Duran. Anthony Hewitt hit into a double play, but Cartwright scored on the play for a 3-0 lead.
The Squirrels were quiet in the first inning, but got one run back against Reading southpaw Austin Wright in the second. Mark Minicozzi drew a lead-off walk and was balked to second base. Ricky Oropesa then lashed a crisp double into the right-field corner. Minicozzi came around to cut the deficit to three runs, 4-1.
Richmond continued to chip away at the lead with another run in the third inning. Ryan Lollis reached on an error to start the frame and advanced to second base on a wild pitch from Wright. Lollis advanced to third on a fly out and scored on another Wright wild pitch to cut the Reading lead to 4-2.
Brett Krill opened the fifth inning with a double and came in on a single from Ehire Adrianza to make it a one-run game, 4-3.
Snodgrass settled in to hold down the Fightins through the fifth inning. However, Anthony Hewitt led off the sixth inning with a mammoth solo-home run that banked off the scoreboard in left-center field. Hewitt’s fifth of the year, stretched the lead back to two runs, 5-3. Snodgrass (5-3) was saddled with his third loss of the year, conceding five earned runs on eight hits. He walked a season-high four and struck out two.
Wright- (2-3) was credited with his second win of the season, turning in six innings. He permitted three runs, two earned, on three hits. He walked one and struck out four.
Richmond got within a run when Minicozzi singled home Adrianza off right-hander Hector Neris in the eighth inning. However, the Squirrels would get no closer, as Reading used lefty Jay Johnson and righty Tyler Knigge to finish the ballgame. Knigge issued two walks in the bottom of the ninth inning, but recovered to earn his second save of the season.
The Squirrels will enjoy a league-wide off day on Monday before continuing their current home stand on Tuesday night at6:35 p.m. Richmond will welcome in the Binghamton Mets (New York Mets) for the first time on the year for a three-game series.
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Chris Graham
