Home Richmond offense erupts with team-record seven homers in series finale
Sports News

Richmond offense erupts with team-record seven homers in series finale

Chris Graham

Richmond Flying SquirrelsThe Richmond Flying Squirrels set numerous franchise records in a 22-7 win over the Hartford Yard Goats on Sunday afternoon at The Diamond to close the homestand.

The Flying Squirrels (24-21) set new single-game franchise records for runs (22), hits (24), home runs (7) and RBIs (22) and tied the team record for extra-base hits (10). Jacob Heyward and Tyler Fitzgerald each tied the franchise single-game record with five hits.

Fitzgerald also set a new single-game franchise record with five runs scored, surpassing the previous mark of four, and for total bases with 13, passing Thomas Neal’s record of 12 in a three-homer game on June 26, 2010 at Erie.

Sean Roby homered twice for the Flying Squirrels, setting a new single-season franchise record with his third multi-homer game this year. He has now hit 10 home runs at The Diamond, which ties him with Adam Duvall in 2013 for the most homers at home in a season in team history.

Fitzgerald also homered twice in the game. Brett Auerbach, Franklin Labour and Frankie Tostado each went deep for Richmond, totaling seven home runs. The seven home runs by the Richmond offense broke the single-game team record of five, which was set on April 13 this year against Altoona, and was the most in a game for a team in the Eastern League this year.

The 22 runs for the Richmond offense broke the previous single-game record of 20, which was set on May 26, 2013 at Altoona and matched on August 2, 2018 at New Hampshire. It was also the most runs scored in a game in Double-A this year and the second-most in the minors.

The Flying Squirrels’ 24 hits broke the previous single-game team record of 22, which has been done three times, most recently on May 26, 2013 at Altoona. The team set a record on Sunday with 22 RBIs, which was set during that same game in 2013. Ten extra-base hits tied a single-game franchise record, which previously also occurred on August 8, 2010 at Portland and July 4, 2012 against Binghamton.

Hartford (28-17) opened the scoring in the first inning with a solo homer by Ezequiel Tovar, his 10th of the year.

The Flying Squirrels answered in the second with three runs. Heyward hit an RBI double and Robert Emery followed with a two-run single against Hartford starter Karl Kauffmann (Loss, 3-2) to take 3-1 lead.

After an RBI single by Hartford’s Aaron Schunk in the top of the third to close the score to 3-2, the Flying Squirrels scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to open a 6-2 lead. Roby hit his first homer of the day, a solo shot, Heyward added an RBI single and Labour plated a run with a sacrifice fly.

In the fourth, Auerbach clubbed a solo home run, his sixth of the season. Two batters later, Roby hit a two-run homer, his team-leading 12th of the year. Fitzgerald brought in a run with a double and Labour hit a three-run homer to cap a seven-run inning and extend the lead to 13-2.

The Richmond offense posted another seven-run inning in the sixth. Emery brought in Heyward with a single, Auerbach scored Labour with a single and Roby singled home Emery. Tostado lifted a three-run homer, his seventh this year, and Fitzgerald belted his first homer of the game to push the lead to 20-2.

The Yard Goats scored five runs in the seventh inning. Michael Toglia and Schunk drove two-run doubles and Willie MacIver hit an RBI single to close the score to 20-7.

In the bottom of the eighth with Hartford position player Tyler Hill pitching, Fitzgerald lifted a two-run homer to open a 22-7 lead.

Richmond starting pitcher Gray Fenter worked three innings and allowed two runs with a season-high four walks and two strikeouts. Blake Rivera (Win, 3-1) pitched three hitless innings and struck out four batters. Taylor Rashi had two strikeouts and did not allow a run working through the eighth and ninth innings.

Fitzgerald finished the game 5-for-6 with two home runs, two doubles, five runs scored and four RBIs. Heyward hit 5-for-6 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Roby went 3-for-6 with two homers, four RBIs and scored three runs.

Emery and Brandon Martorano each had three hits. Seven players picked up at least two hits and seven players had at multiple RBIs.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].