Somerset Patriots Series Recap Vs Hartford Yard Goats 6/29 - 7/4

Bobby Santoro
Jul 7
3 min read

The Somerset Patriots have a real chance to make a statement this past week against the Hartford Yard Goats, and for the first half of the series, it looked like they would do exactly that.

The Boys of Summer opened the six-game set at TD Bank Ballpark by taking three of the first four games, leaning on the same formula that has carried them for much of the season: power and timely pitching. But Hartford answered back over the weekend, taking the final two games and leaving Bridgewater with a series split.

Early Power Sets The Tone

The Patriots wasted no time setting the tone in Tuesday’s opener, taking down Hartford 5-2 behind three home runs and another strong start from Cade Smith. Josh Moylan launched two homers and drove in three runs, while Jackson Castillo also went deep.

That carried into Wednesday, when Somerset picked up a 5-3 win. Jace Avina opened things up with his 16th long ball of the year while DJ Gladney delivered the biggest swing of the night with a go-ahead two-run shot in the seventh. The win pushed the Pats to 23-12 at home, giving them one of the best home records in the Eastern League.

Strikeouts Steal the Spotlight

Somerset’s arms also had a loud week, even when the final scores did not always go their way.

Wednesday night was the peak, with the Patriots’ pitching staff combining for 19 strikeouts, a franchise record for a nine-inning game. That group also became the fastest staff in Double-A to reach 800 strikeouts this season.

The strikeout trend continued through the weekend. Somerset punched out 11 batters on Saturday, marking the third time in four games that the staff reached double digits. By that point, the Patriots’ 837 strikeouts led Double-A and ranked sixth in all of Minor League Baseball.

Cade Smith gave Somerset a strong start in the opener, tossing six innings of one-run ball for his second straight quality start. Jack Cebert followed later in the series with his first career Double-A quality start, going six innings while allowing two runs and striking out six.

Late-Series Momentum Fades

After Friday’s 5-3 win secured at least a split, the weekend did not go the way Somerset wanted.

Hartford took Saturday’s game 6-1, holding the Patriots to one run despite seven hits. Connor McGinnis was a bright spot, going 3-for-3 for a career-high three hits, while DJ Gladney extended his hit streak to five games.

Sunday’s finale was the toughest offensive showing of the week. Somerset was shut out 5-0 and managed only three hits. Still, the bullpen gave the Patriots something positive, combining for four scoreless innings with six strikeouts and no walks after Smith’s outing.

Gladney and McGinnis Stay Hot

DJ Gladney quietly put together one of the best individual weeks of any Patriot. He hit safely in all six games against Hartford, finishing the series 8-for-21 with a homer, four extra-base hits, four RBI, and two multi-hit games.

McGinnis also continued to trend upward. After reaching base in all three plate appearances Sunday, he had reached safely in six straight plate appearances over his last two games. Over his last 11 games, McGinnis is batting .364/.432/.485, another encouraging sign for a Somerset lineup that has been getting production from multiple spots.

Progress, But Not the Full Payoff

A split is not a bad result, especially against a Hartford team that came in capable of making noise. But after taking three of the first four, this one feels like a series Somerset had a chance to grab.

The positive is obvious: the power is still real, the staff is still missing bats at an elite rate, and several key bats are heating up at the same time. The frustrating part is just as clear: when the offense cools off, it can cool off fast.

For Somerset, the week against Hartford was not a step back. It just was not the full step forward it looked like it could be.

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