A walk-off single in the 10th inning gave the Portland Sea Dogs a 5-4 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field on Saturday.
The two teams traded blows early on, beginning with a run from each team in the third. Reese McGuire’s single brought home Matt Dean to give New Hampshire the lead initially, only to see that wiped out in the bottom of the inning by Danny Bethea’s second homer of the season.
New Hampshire would add three runs in the seventh, only to see their advantage negated in an eighth inning that saw the Sea Dogs record three straight hits.
Although the Fisher Cats loaded the bases in the top of the 10th, it was Portland’s Mike Olt that would be the hero on this occasion, sending a 2-2 grounder to centerfield, bringing home Danny Mars in the process.
New Hampshire’s Thomas Pannone limited Portland to just three hits in seven innings of work, with Portland counterpart Trey Owens almost equaling him with four hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Elih Villanueva gained credit for the win after getting the last two New Hampshire outs in the tenth while Kender Villegas was the loser after coming in to start the bottom of the tenth.
Harold Ramirez led the way at the plate for New Hampshire, going 2-for-3 with a pair of walks, while Cole Sturgeon and Mars each grabbed two hits apiece for Portland.
The two teams have two more matinees left before the end of the Eastern League regular season. On Sunday, Sean Reid-Foley (9-11, 5.08 ERA) takes the hill for New Hampshire against Portland’s Kevin McAvoy (6-8, 4.31 ERA).
