Reading Fightin Phils
Reading beat Erie 11-10 on Thursday night at FirstEnergy Stadium, clinching the Eastern League second-half championship and the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2019. The Fightin Phils trailed 1-0 early after an Erie run scored on a fielding error, but they answered with a four-run second inning. Bryson Ware and Luis Caicuto each delivered RBI singles, and a throwing error brought home a third run to make it 4-1.
Pedro Leon stretched the lead to four with an RBI triple in the third, and Carson DeMartini and Aroon Escobar strung together back-to-back doubles for another run in the fifth. Erie clawed back to tie it at six in the sixth on a Roberto Campos home run and a bases-loaded balk against reliever Evan Gates, but Reading answered right away. Dante Nori and Aidan Miller each drove in runs in the bottom of the sixth, Miller’s coming on a bases-clearing double — his first at the Double-A level this year — to make it 9-6.
Izaac Pacheco’s leadoff homer in the seventh cut the Erie deficit to two, and DeMartini added a two-run single in the eighth to push the lead back to four. DeMartini finished with three hits, a walk and three RBI on the night. Erie made it a one-run game in the ninth, loading the bases before closer Daniel Harper induced a double-play to end it.
Starter Luke Russo worked five innings, allowing two runs on five hits with three strikeouts without a decision. Evan Gates (3-4) picked up the win despite the balk, and Serwa (9-9) took the loss for Erie after allowing seven runs on nine hits over 5.1 innings.
Reading improved to 38-27 in the second half and returns to the field Friday against Erie, with left-hander Adam Seminaris on the mound. The Northeast Division playoffs between Reading and Hartford begin Tuesday with game one in Reading, followed by game two and three (if necessary) in Hartford.
Clearwater Threshers
Clearwater’s season ended Thursday night in a 7-5 loss to the Tampa Tarpons at BayCare Ballpark, as the Tarpons completed a sweep of the best-of-three FSL West Division Series. The Threshers were held hitless through three innings before Tampa opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the fourth. Matthew Ferrara answered immediately with a solo home run in the bottom half to cut the deficit in half.
The score held until the sixth, when Nolan Beltran was hit by a pitch and Jonathan Hogart drew a walk ahead of Will Gasparino’s first career triple, which scored both runners and gave Clearwater its only lead of the night. Tampa tied it at three on a two-out double in the eighth, then went back ahead on a two-run homer from Wilberson De Peña. Two more runs in the ninth pushed the margin to four before Clearwater’s final push.
Gasparino led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and moved to third on a walk. Will Vierling singled him home to make it a three-run game, and with two outs, Reece Moroney added an RBI single to pull the Threshers within two. The comeback stalled there though, ending the season.
Starter Cole Gilley turned in the best outing of his young career, working a season-high six innings and allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts without a decision. Richie Cortese took the loss and blown save, allowing two runs on three hits in 1.2 innings, and Orlando Gonzalez surrendered three runs in just a third of an inning before Kyler Carmack closed it out with a scoreless final frame.
Clearwater finishes the season 74-55. The Threshers open 2027 in April at home against Tampa.
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
The IronPigs fell 7-4 to the Worcester Red Sox on Thursday night at Coca-Cola Park, unable to recover from a five-run first inning. Worcester sent nine batters to the plate against starter Alan Rangel, scoring on a Franklin Arias RBI single, an infield hit from Tyler McDonough, a two-run single by Nathan Hickey, and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Tsung-Che Cheng.
Kameron Misner answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the first, his 21st of the season, trimming the deficit to 5-1. McDonough countered with a solo shot in the third to push Worcester back up by five. Lehigh Valley chipped away with a Wuilfredo Antunez leadoff triple and an RBI groundout from Jordan Dissin that made it 6-2.
Rangel settled in but still took the loss, falling to 3-8 after allowing six runs on five hits across five innings. Worcester tacked on a run in the sixth on another Arias single to make it 7-2, while Blake Wehunt cruised through six innings for the win, striking out four and allowing just two runs on two hits.
The IronPigs made it interesting in the ninth. Misner reached on an infield single and scored on a Keaton Anthony double, an infield single and a walk loaded the bases, and Antunez drove in a run on a fielder’s choice to make it 7-4. Dissin came up representing the tying run with two outs but flied out to deep left field to end the threat.
Lehigh Valley dropped to 30-35 in the second half with the loss, its second straight defeat to Worcester. The series continues tonight at Coca-Cola Park, with right-hander Chuck King (9-7, 4.10 ERA) starting for the IronPigs against Worcester’s John Holobetz.
Home Runs — September 10, 2026
Lehigh Valley – Kameron Misner (21)
Clearwater – Matthew Ferrara (6)
