Sea Dogs Bats Explode, Down Rock Cats 15-7

Oscar Tejada rips a single off the Maine Monster (Photo Jeff Schools/MESN)

While the weather was nice for most of Saturday's game, the play on the field was downright offensive. The Sea Dogs and Rock Cats combined for 22 runs on 26 hits, as every Portland batter collected a hit, as the Sea Dogs coasted to a 15-7 win.

The Rock Cats got on the board first, as Joe Benson hit a 2-out solo Home Run in the first inning off Portland starter Brock Huntzinger. The Sea Dogs quickly responded as Ryan Lavarnway hit a 3-run homer and Chih-Hsien Chiang hit a 2-run dinger to put the home team on top 5-1 after 1 inning.

Jon Hee hit a 2-run homer in the 2nd inning, and Oscar Tejeda hit an RBI double to chase New Britain starter Deolis Guerra after 1 2/3 innings pitched. Reliever Santos Aria than gave up a 2-RBI single to Mitch Dening to give Guerra 10 earned runs on the day.

Neither team reached base in the third to give the pitchers a break, because the bats were not done yet.

Huntzinger ran into trouble in the fourth giving up a leadoff single to Chris Parmalee, then walking Evan Bigley. Deibinson Romero would walk with one out to load the bases. Mark Dolenc then hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring home Parmalee. Huntzinger would get Chris Cates to fly out to get out of the jam with only one run allowed.

Chiang hit another 2-run homer in the fourth to give him 3 hits in 3 at-bats in four innings, as the Rock Cat pitchers couldn't find a way to get him out.

New Britain would put up a fight in the top of the fifth, as Chris Hermann and Bigley collected Home Runs off of Huntzinger to chase him out of the game. The righty pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up 6 runs on 7 hits with 2 walks and a strikeout. he threw 54 of his 87 pitches for strikes.

Portland's offense would keep it going in the bottom of the inning. Vladimir Frias led off with a double for his first hit of the game. Che-Hsuan Lin would double to bring home Frias. Hee then drew a walk with a full count to put two men on. Tim Federowicz then hit a deep fly ball to right that bounced off Bigley's glove to load the bases. Lavarnway hit a grounder up the left side of the infield to bring home Lin, and Hee would also score on an error by Dolenc. Aria was lifted from the game without recording an out in the inning. His replacement, Michael Tarsi then got the next three batters out in order to end the inning, and close the books on the Sea Dogs scoring in this game.

Luis' only hiccup was in the eighth when Yangervis Solarte led off with a triple, and Romero drove him home with an infield single to 3rd.

Luis picked up his first win of the season after pitching 3 1/3 innings of relief, giving up only 1 run on 2 hits, with a walk and 2 strikeouts.

Deolis Guerra took the loss, his fourth of the season. In 1 2/3 innings pitched, he gave up 10 runs on 10 hits with 3 walks and no strikeouts, and giving up 3 Home Runs.

Chiang went 3 for 5 to lead the Sea Dogs offense, with 4 RBIs and 3 runs scored.

Every Sea Dogs batter reached base at least twice, and Dening was the only one to not score a run. The 15 runs was a season high for Portland.

The two teams meet again tomorrow at 1pm for the rubber game of the series. Alex Wilson will be on the mound for the Sea Dogs, looking to pick up his team-leading 5th win of the year.
-WIL KRAMLICH-