On a night where Fenway Park saw five runs in 16 innings of baseball, just over 50 miles away there were eight runs from 14 innings of baseball between the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Portland Sea Dogs.
New Hampshire split a pair of seven-inning games to the Sea Dogs, losing 2-1 in the first game and winning 3-2 in the second.
In the first game, Portland got both of their runs in the fourth off a Jeremy Barfield single to centerfield.
New Hampshire got the game back within a run in the bottom of the seventh, but pinch hitter Matt Dean struck out swinging to end the rally.
Elih Villanueva (3-3) pitched six innings in the victory, scattering two hits, walking two and striking out four. Williams Jerez got his fourth save of the year after retiring the side in the seventh.
The loss went to Francisco Rios (3-9), who also pitched six innings. Rios gave up six hits, striking out five and walking one.
Portland got out to an early start in the second game, with the Sea Dogs getting a pair of runs, sending seven batters to the plate.
A double play ended that rally before the Sea Dogs could do any more damage, and the Fisher Cats capitalized on that fact quickly.
Harold Ramirez doubled home Jonathan Davis half an inning later, and a Gunnar Heidt home run in the second evened things up.
The Fisher Cats took the lead two innings after Heidt’s blast, with Dean making up for his late-inning failure in the previous game with a 2-1 double to left, scoring Alex Monsalve.
John Straka began his second stint with the Fisher Cats with a win in the second game, scattering seven hits over five innings of work.
Straka went 4-1 for the Fisher Cats in 2016 before a stint at the end of last year and the beginning of this one with the St. Paul Saints of the independent American Association.
Taylor Grover (2-5) lasted 3 1/3 innings and earned the loss. Andrew Case received credit for the save.
The series concludes on Sunday with a 1:35 p.m. matinee. Sean Reid Foley (5-7, 4.76 ERA) takes the mound for New Hampshire against Portland’s Henry Owens (1-1, 4.76 ERA).
