Portland, Maine – L J Talley delivered three hits and Samad Taylor hit his 12th home run, but the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays Double-A affiliate) fell twice to the Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox) on Saturday by scores of 6-4 and 1-0 at Hadlock Field.
Game 1:
Taylor drilled a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning, but the Fisher Cats could not rally back in the final at bat of the first game.
Portland scored four times in the bottom of the sixth inning to win for the first time in series. Devlin Grandberg had the game-winning hit with a double off New Hampshire starter Casey Lawrence (L, 1-1) to break a 2-2 tie. Ronaldo Hernandez homered in the second and Hudson Potts went deep in the fifth for the Sea Dogs.
New Hampshire had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning. Tanner Kirwer reached on a hit-by-pitch, followed by consecutive singles by Taylor and Chavez Young for the first run. After Otto Lopez grounded into a fielders choice, Jordan Groshans hit a sacrifice fly for a 2-1 Fisher Cats lead.
Victor Santos (W, 2-2) made his first start for Portland and pitched a complete-game. He allowed four runs on nine hits, striking out five.
Game 2:
Portland (46-27) scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Nick Sogard tripled and scored on a wild pitch and error. The Fisher Cats could not solve starter A. J. Politi (W, 5-7) who allowed no runs on three hits in his six innings. He struck out eight. Jose Disla worked around a walk of Nick Podkul in the top of the seventh for his first save.
Luis Quinones (L, 0-2) worked the first five innings for New Hampshire. He allowed just two hits, walked two, and struck out seven in a strong effort. Marcus Reyes added a scoreless frame in his only inning of work for New Hampshire (34-39).
After reaching safely in every game in June and July, Taylor’s consecutive on-base streak came to end in the second at 38 games.
