Somerset Patriots move on to championship with dramatic walkoff

On Thursday night, the Somerset Patriots advanced to the finals of the Double-A Eastern League’s playoffs. The New York Yankees affiliate has been smoking the competition all year with a record of 83-53. They’re not only the best team in their league, but one of the best in all of minor league baseball. This was a team that missed the playoffs by just a half-game last season.

The Somerset Patriots were motivated from day one to make it to this point. It’s been an impressive run, but it hasn’t come without its challenges.

Last night was another example of the comeback kids. They were down 3-0 and 5-3, but it didn’t matter because this team never quits or believes it’s out of a game. The Yankees’ 27th-ranked prospect, outfielder Brandon Lockridge, was largely responsible for the 6-5 win on Thursday night. He got them going with an RBI single for the first run, and later bookmarked it with a walkoff single in the 10th.

But it’s about a lot more than just Lockridge. The fight it took to get that point was incredible.

The New York Yankees’ second-ranked prospect, outfielder Jasson Dominguez, was the player of the game. He had two singles and two crucial walks to spark both rallies. Dominguez struggled a little bit in the outfield, but he quickly made up for it. The maturity displayed by Dominguez is beyond impressive. To lay off some of those close pitches in a crucial situation just shows how calm he is at 19 years old. He hasn’t even been in Double-A for two weeks, yet the Patriots don’t win without him.

New York’s fourth-ranked prospect, catcher Austin Wells, also had two huge at-bats. He had a walk to bring in a run and single in the ninth when he was down to his last strike. He slapped the ball the other way to bring the Patriots within a run. It was impressive because he previously swung at a horrible pitch, but he was able to rebound on the fly. Infielder Andres Chaparro then tied it up with an RBI single, but the Patriots couldn’t get it going after that and to extras they went.

Patriots reliever Carson Coleman came up huge in the 10th, leaving the ghost runner stranded and striking out two batters. In the 10th, the stage was set for Lockridge and he delivered. Lockridge has been a mainstay with the Patriots for the majority of the last two years and he really earned this moment.

This is just the second year the Patriots have officially been the Yankees Double-A affiliate and they’re now on the doorstep of a championship. It’s also Dan Fiorito’s first year managing the team after being with their High-A team last season.

The entire team deserves credit for this accomplishment. Now Somerset moves on to the finals where they will face the Cleveland Guardians Double-A affiliate, the Erie SeaWolves, for the Eastern League title.