SENATORS GAME RECAP

The Harrisburg Senators bullpen was effective both on the mound and at the plate as the Senators came back from an early hole to force extra innings and top the Reading Phillies, 8-2, in 11 innings at FirstEnergy Stadium. Justin Maxwell drove in three, including the tying and go-ahead runs.

The Phillies struck in the bottom of the third, taking advantage of a pair of walks by Harrisburg starter Shairon Martis. He walked pitcher Josh Outman and outfielder Javon Moran back-to-back, and two batters later Greg Golson lined a base hit up the middle to plate both and make it 2-0 Reading.

It stayed that way until the top of the eighth, when Reading closer Pat Overholt came on with one out and walked William Bergolla. Maxwell stepped in and, after striking out in his first three at-bats, clubbed a home run over the wall in left to tie the game. The Senators put runners in scoring position later in the eighth and again in the ninth, but could not score the go-ahead run.

That changed in the top of the 11th, when the Senators got to reliever Jason Anderson, who only came in after an injury to Justin Pope. Roger Bernadina and Mike Daniel stroked one-out singles and Bergolla walked to load the bases. Maxwell followed by muscling a single into center to plate Bernadina and give the Senators a 3-2 lead. Yurendell de Caster then ripped a bases-clearing double to the gap in left-center to make it 6-2. The Phillies intentionally walked Luis Jimenez to get to pitcher Jim Ed Warden, who came up in his first professional at-bat. After shouldering the bat for the first two pitches, Warden blasted a double off the left-field wall to score two and finish the scoring at 8-2.

Warden then returned to the mound to work a perfect bottom of the 11th and struck out the final two batters to close it out. The right-hander picked up the win to move to 2-0, and the Senators improved to 8-4. Anderson (0-1) took the loss as the Phillies fell to 6-6.

All told, the bullpen worked six shutout innings between Beltran Perez, Steve Schmoll and Warden. That follows last night’s game in which the Senators bullpen pitched three scoreless innings and Josh Perrault singled in his first professional at-bat.

The Senators clinched a series victory and go for a sweep tomorrow night at 6:35 PM in Reading.