This Cat Rocks!

The New Britain Rock Cats beat the Reading Fightin Phils 5-0 Saturday evening in front of 6,441 at New Britain Stadium, the eighth sellout of the season.

Naugatuck native and Rock Cats starter Pat Dean (LHP) was tremendous through nine, limiting Reading to just five hits while walking two and striking out five. The win was Pat's first complete game and shutout in his professional career.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when DH Josmil Pinto singled up the middle and plated LF Nate Hanson, who led off the inning with a double. Pinto was thrown out at second while trying to advance and the one run was all the Cats would get in the frame.

New Britain would add to their lead the very next inning thanks to an RBI double by C Kyle Knudson. He scored RF Jordan Parraz who walked earlier in the inning and was going on the pitch. Reading starter LHP Jesse Biddle pitched his way out of a one out, bases-loaded situation by getting both Hanson and Pinto to fly out to the outfield and he escaped with just the one run allowed.

Biddle, Philadelphia's top prospect, lasted six innings while giving up two runs on nine hits, striking out two and walking two. His record drops to 3-8.

The Rock Cats tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh off Reading reliever RHP Juan Sosa. Hanson knocked in 2B Danny Santana, who led off the inning on a play that saw both the pitcher and third baseman commit errors and allowed Santana to reach third base. Two batters later, Pinto slammed a double off the wall in left-center, scoring both SS A.J. Pettersen and Hanson. Pinto, who had three RBIs on the night, now leads the team with 54 and ranks third in the Eastern League.  

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

The above press release comes from the New Britain Rock Cats.