PORTLAND, MAINE – It took over a month, but the New Hampshire Fisher Cats have finally recorded a save in 2021.
Their first save of the year, the last team in the Double-A Northeast to get their first save, came on Thursday night as the Fisher Cats (11-21) defeated the Portland Sea Dogs (20-13), 5-3.
The save couldn’t have come without run support, and the Fisher Cats came through in the clutch there with 11 hits on the night. Otto Lopez started things off in the first inning with a two-RBI double, with the Fisher Cats holding that lead until the sixth despite Portland cutting that early lead in half in the bottom of the first.
In the sixth, a Joey Meneses single did briefly give Portland a 3-2 lead, but RBI singles from Reggie Pruitt and Samad Taylor tilted the contest back in New Hampshire’s favor and Kevin Vicuña would add another RBI in the eighth on a ground out that scored Lopez.
At this point in every other close game this year for the Fisher Cats, someone in the Fisher Cats bullpen invariably would have blown the lead, but that didn’t happen on Thursday. Fitz Stadler recorded two strikeouts to start the seventh to earn his first hold of the year and then Brody Rodning got the final eight outs of the contest to get that precious save in what was his fourth save opportunity of the year so far.
Troy Miller (1-1) was the winner for New Hampshire, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out five over the contest’s first six innings.
At the plate, New Hampshire saw multi-hit days from Taylor, Lopez, and Chris Bec. Taylor now has three multi-hit games in a row and a nine-game hitting streak overall.
