By Laura Soukkavong –
MANCHESTER, N.H. — The Hartford Yard Goats will look to continue their strong week against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Saturday afternoon when the clubs meet in the fifth game of a six-game Eastern League series at Delta Dental Stadium.
Hartford enters the matchup at 22-20 overall and has won three of the first four games in the series, pulling within 1.5 games of New Hampshire in the division race. The Yard Goats are coming off an 8-1 victory Friday night and are seeking their second consecutive road series win after taking five of six games earlier this month in Binghamton.
Left-hander Konner Eaton is scheduled to start for Hartford against Fisher Cats right-hander Jackson Wentworth. Eaton, ranked eighth in the Eastern League with a 3.54 ERA, will make his ninth start of the season and is searching for his third win. The Rockies’ No. 26 prospect has posted a 2-0 record with 34 strikeouts over 40.2 innings this season.
Eaton is coming off a no-decision against Portland in which he allowed one earned run over six innings in a 6-5 Hartford victory. He also earned a win May 5 at Binghamton and tossed six scoreless innings in his season debut April 3 against Chesapeake.
The Fisher Cats, who sit at 23-18 overall, will counter with Wentworth as they attempt to slow down a Hartford lineup that has produced consistently throughout the road trip.
The Yard Goats offense has been led by infielder Andy Perez, who enters the game batting .378 over his last 10 games. Catcher Bryant Betancourt has also been a major contributor, driving in runs in nine of his last 10 games. Betancourt is batting .271 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs this season and has homered twice already in the series.
Outfielder Benny Montgomery has shown signs of heating up as well. The former first-round pick blasted two home runs Wednesday night against New Hampshire and enters Saturday with five homers on the season.
Hartford first baseman Aidan Longwell continues to provide middle-of-the-order production with a .264 batting average, five home runs and 26 RBIs, while Zach Kokoska enters the game tied for the Yard Goats franchise career home run record with 38.
The Yard Goats bullpen has also played an important role during the series. Right-hander Carlos Torres owns a 2.91 ERA in 13 appearances, while Austin Smith has recorded two saves and a 3.24 ERA this season.
Saturday’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. at Delta Dental Stadium. The game will stream on MLB.TV and MiLB.TV, with audio available through the Audacy and iHeartRadio apps.