The New Hampshire Fisher Cats ended their 2017 season with a 11-4 win against the Portland Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field on Monday afternoon.
Harold Ramirez got New Hampshire on the board in the first inning with a single bringing home Derrick Loveless.
Portland answered with the long ball, beginning with a Michael Chavis shot to center in the second followed by a two-run blast by Cole Sturgeon to right in the third.
New Hampshire took back the lead in the fourth with a three-run rally followed by a two-run homer by Matt Dean in the sixth.
Although a double from Sturgeon brought Jordan Proyshen home in the seventh to narrow the lead, but the Fisher Cats would respond quickly with three more runs in the eighth and a solo home run in the ninth by Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
During the eighth inning offensive explosion, Dean hit his second home run of the day, immediately following a two-run knock from Gunnar Heidt, the first time Fisher Cats have hit consecutive home runs since April 14 in Hartford.
Both starting pitchers lasted five innings, with New Hampshire’s Sean Reid-Foley striking out nine on the way to the win, with Kevin McAvoy giving up five hits in the loss, one less hit than Reid-Foley.
After the announcement that Sunday’s rainout would not become part of a doubleheader on Monday, the Fisher Cats finish their campaign with a 59-80 record. That mark beat out the Harrisburg Senators by half a game to give New Hampshire the ignominious title of the worst record in the Eastern League for 2017.
The 2018 season begins on Thursday, April 5 in Hartford and the home schedule starts on Friday, April 13 at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.
