Sea Dogs Open Season With 4-3 Win Over Reading

Alex Hassen went 2-3 in his 1st game with the Sea Dogs (Photo Jason Gendron)

It didn't take six games for the Portland Sea Dogs to get their first win of the season. In fact, it only took one, as the Sea Dogs beat the Reading Phillies 4-3 in their season opener at Hadlock Field. Alex Wilson pitched an efficient game to get the win, and Seth Garrison and Blake Maxwell combined to give up only three hits over the final four innings for Portland.

Wilson got off to a hot start, hitting 94 mph on the radar and allowing only one hit over the first two innings. Wilson needed only 9 pitches to get through the second. Chih-Hsien Chiang's one-out double in the second was the first hit of the season for the Sea Dogs. After top-prospect Oscar Tejeda struck out swinging, Will Middlebrooks drove home Chiang to put Portland on the board first.

Wilson stumbled into trouble in the third inning, allowing base hits to four of the first five batters he faced. Carlos Rivero and Derrick Mitchell scored on Freddy Galvis' bases loaded single. Wilson would get Harold Garcia to ground into an inning-ending double play to prevent any further damage.

Second Baseman Ryan Dent started off the bottom of the inning with a single up the middle. He would move to second base with a steal, then to third on a wild pitch. Dent would score the tying run on an Alex Hassan single.

After a 1-2-3 fourth for Wilson, the Sea Dogs would retake the lead. Chiang would reach base with a leadoff single, and move to second on his first stolen base of the season. Tim Federowicz would bring Chiang home on a single to left field.

Wilson was looking for his second straight spotless inning until Tuffy Gosewisch hit the first home run of the season at Hadlock. A Chris Frey flyout would end the inning and the night for WIlson.

The Sea Dogs would take back the lead for the third and final time in the bottom of the fifth As Che-Hsuan Lin tripled to leadoff, then scored on an Alex Hassan sacrifice fly.

Seth Garrison got the Hold after allowing only two hits and a walk with two strikeouts over two innings. Blake Maxwell, the Sea Dogs mustached reliever, got the six-out Save, with a walk and a strikeout over the final two innings. Wilson threw 78 pitches, with 51 for strikes as he picked up the win. he allowed 3 earned runs on 6 hits with 3 strikeouts and no walks.

Josh Zeid took the loss for the Phillies after allowing 4 earned runs on 7 hits with a walk and 5 strikeouts.

Chiang went 3 for 3 from the plate with a walk and 2 runs scored, and Hassan went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs to lead the Sea Dogs offense.

Game 2 of the 4-game series will be tomorrow night at 6pm.
-Wil Kramlich-


POST GAME AUDIO
Manager Kevin Boles


Starter Alex Wilson


PHOTO GALLERY PRESENTED BY MISTER SPARKY