PORTLAND, MAINE – A ninth-inning rally is great, but it doesn’t always end in victory.
On Tuesday, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats sent things to extra innings after a pair of runs in the ninth, but fell 5-4 in the tenth to the Portland Sea Dogs.
After seven innings, things were tied at two runs each, with New Hampshire getting its runs off a Spencer Horwitz long ball in the first and Ryan Gold’s double scoring Zac Cook in the fifth. Both of Portland’s runs came in the fourth as Fisher Cats hurler Nick Fraze allowed four straight batters to reach base.
Portland broke the deadlock in the eighth off a two-run David Hamilton triple before Rafael Lantigua kept the Fisher Cats alive with his two-run double, his 21st double of the year. Horwitz walked after Lantigua’s hit to load the bases, but Orelvis Martinez quickly flied out, ruining New Hampshire’s opportunity to retake the lead.
That squandered chance would haunt the ‘Cats as Alex Binelas began the 10th on second and advanced to third on an error, with Hudson Potts bringing him home on a walk-off sacrifice to left.
Cook went 3-for-3 for New Hampshire, followed by Luis De Los Santos’ 2-for-5 outing. Sean Mellen (2-1) was the loser for New Hampshire, recording six outs over the eighth and ninth and facing three batters in the tenth without retiring a runner.
