Lehigh Valley IronPigs
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs fell 4-3 in walk-off fashion to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Thursday night at PNC Field. Oswaldo Cabrera‘s ninth-inning single brought home pinch-runner Duke Ellis and ended a game the ‘Pigs led for much of the night.
Keaton Anthony gave Lehigh Valley an early lift, singling home Otto Kemp in the first inning. SWB answered with a solo homer from Anthony Volpe in the third to even things at 1-1, but Kemp put the ‘Pigs back in front with a two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth. The RailRiders clawed back with a Volpe single and a throwing error that plated a run in the sixth, then tied it 3-3 on a Tyler Hardman sacrifice fly. Lehigh Valley left a runner in scoring position to end both the eighth and ninth, and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre made them pay in the bottom of the ninth.
Alan Rangel turned in a solid start, working 5.1 innings and allowing two runs on four hits with six strikeouts. Kyle Backhus followed with 1.2 innings of relief before Kirby Snead worked a perfect eighth. Snead came back out for the ninth and surrendered the walk-off hit, taking the loss.
At the plate, Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Carter Kieboom each collected two hits, both adding a double to a single. Kemp reached base twice and finished with two RBI and a run scored. Kemp was hit by a pitch in the first inning, the 25th time he has been hit by a pitch this season, an IronPigs record. Braiden Ward leads all of Triple-A baseball with 28 HBP, Kemp is second. The IronPigs drew four walks as a team against SWB pitching. Lehigh Valley finished with eight hits on the night but couldn’t quite turn that into enough runs to hold on.
The two teams continue their series tonight at PNC Field, with Brian Keller taking the mound for the IronPigs against Kyle Carr.
Reading Fightin Phils
Reading pounded out 14 hits and rolled to a 10-5 win over the Hartford Yard Goats on Thursday night at Dunkin’ Park. The offense came from up and down the lineup, and the pitching staff — shaky in the middle innings — settled in enough to protect the lead.
Raylin Heredia paced the attack, doubling and homering for three RBI; the homer was his 22nd of the season and the double his 33rd. Caleb Ricketts and Pedro Leon each rapped out three singles, with Leon swiping his 16th base of the year and Ricketts adding a walk and an RBI. Dante Nori chipped in with two singles, a walk, a run scored and his 17th steal. Aroon Escobar reached base four times with two singles and two walks, scoring twice and driving in two runs of his own. Austin Murr added a two-RBI double, and Carson DeMartini drew two walks, stole two bases and scored twice without a hit to his name.
On the mound, Gage Wood was the story early, striking out 10 over four-plus innings while allowing just two runs on four hits. Sam Carlson, who the Phillies recently signed, relieved him and worked 1.2 scoreless innings, picking up the win despite hitting a batter and issuing a walk. Aaron Combs had the roughest outing of the night, allowing three runs — two earned — in 1.1 innings, but Christian McGowan closed things out with two clean innings, scattering two hits without a run crossing.
The win pushed Reading to 65-63 on the season and 35-24 in the second half, a strong showing from a lineup that drew six walks and struck out only nine times against Hartford pitching.
Jersey Shore BlueClaws
The BlueClaws dropped a tight one on the road Thursday, falling 2-1 to the Hub City Spartanburgers at Fifth Third Park in Spartanburg. Jersey Shore’s pitching kept the game close from start to finish, but the offense couldn’t find enough to break through.
Hub City scored single runs in the first and fourth innings, the only two runs starter Ryan Dromboski allowed over five innings of work. Dromboski struck out five and scattered six hits, an efficient outing that deserved a better result. Tegan Cain followed with two scoreless innings, walking one and striking out another, and Micah Ottenbreit closed with a perfect inning, striking out two on 16 pitches. Between the three of them, Jersey Shore pitchers held Hub City to two runs on six hits across the night.
Offensively, Nathan Humphreys and Daunte Stuart each singled twice to lead the BlueClaws. Jersey Shore didn’t get on the board until the ninth, when Stuart’s single drove in the club’s lone run and cut the deficit to one. The rally stalled there, and Hub City closed it out for the 2-1 win.
It was the kind of loss that reflects a difficult season for Jersey Shore, which fell to 46-81 overall. Still, the pitching staff’s performance offered a bright spot — five strikeouts from Dromboski, a scoreless two innings from Cain, and a tidy finish from Ottenbreit kept the BlueClaws within striking distance the whole night, even if the bats couldn’t deliver the equalizer.
Clearwater Threshers
Clearwater swept a Thursday doubleheader from the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels at BayCare Ballpark, winning the opener 9-3 in seven innings before taking the nightcap 6-5, also in seven.
Game one was delayed by rain in the top of the sixth but had already been decided by then. The Threshers piled up 10 hits and drew 12 walks against Fort Myers pitching. Matthew Ferrara and Reece Moroney each singled twice and scored twice, with Ferrara adding two stolen bases to push his season total to 33. Jonathan Hogart drove in two runs on a single, and Tyler Spangler reached base three times, walking twice and scoring twice himself. Will Gasparino worked three walks of his own.
On the mound, Sean Youngerman was sharp, allowing just one run on three hits over five innings to pick up the win, and the bullpen of Jacob Pruitt and Brendan Sweeney finished it off.
The second game came down to the final frame. Clearwater trailed before scoring all six of their runs in the seventh inning, capped by a walk-off single from Jack Hopko. Ferrara stayed hot with a single and a double, plus his 34th stolen base of the year, and Reece Moroney added two more singles and an RBI. Cade Climie drove in two runs with a base hit.
Starter Zuher Yousef worked four innings and struck out four, and the Threshers’ bullpen — Kyler Carmack, Elias Holbert and Richie Cortese — combined to hold Fort Myers off just long enough for the late rally.
The sweep improved Clearwater to 72-54 on the season, with Ferrara’s four hits and three stolen bases across the two games standing out as the offensive highlight of the day.
Home Runs — September 3, 2026
Reading – Raylin Heredia (22)
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