Reading with 13 Unanswered Runs, Beats Portland 13-8
May 7, 2017 - Eastern League (EL1)
Portland Sea Dogs News Release
Portland, Maine - The Reading Fightin Phils (14-12) overcame an eight-run deficit and scored the final 13 runs of the ballgame, defeating the Sea Dogs (15-10) 13-8 on Sunday afternoon at Hadlock Field and earning a split of the four-game series.
The eight-run lead was the largest surrendered by Portland since they gave up a 10-run lead on June 7, 2008 vs. Akron.
Trailing 8-3 after six innings, Reading sent 11 men to the plate in the seventh and scored seven runs on four hits and four walks.
Mitch Walding hit an RBI single off of Luis Ysla (L, 0-2) to start the scoring in the seventh. Later in the inning Ysla walked three straight batters, leading to another run to make it an 8-5 game. After a sac fly by Osmel Aguila, Kyle Martin hit a two-run double that Nick Longhi lost in the sun in right field to tie the game 8-8.
Josh Smith entered the game and walked Chace Numata, then allowed a two-run double to Jiandido Tromp to give Reading a 10-8 lead. Tromp finished the game with three doubles.
The Fightins scored two more times in the eighth and once in the ninth to finish their run, scoring in each of the last five innings.
Joey DeNato (W, 2-1) earned the victory as the Reading bullpen shut down the Sea Dogs after the third. DeNato, Mario Holland, and Miguel Nunez combined to pitch the final 6.1 innings and allowed just one run on three hits.
Portland set a season-high with eight runs in the third inning. Danny Mars got the scoring started with an RBI single to score Tzu-Wei Lin, who had walked. Lin extended his on-base streak to 19 games. Josh Tobias then singled to drive in two more runs and give Portland a 3-0 lead.
Later in the inning, Rafael Devers and Nick Longhi hit back-to-back RBI singles to extend the lead to 5-0 and knock Fightins starter Brandon Leibrandt out of the game. After a pair of walks by Joey DeNato, including an RBI walk by Jake DePew. Joseph Monge then hit a two-run single to make it 8-0 Sea Dogs. The third inning marked the first time Portland had batted around this season, they sent 13 men to the plate in the inning.
Reading began their long climb back into the game in the fifth inning. Jorge Flores hit a sac fly off of Trey Ball to put the Fightins on the scoreboard, then Scott Kingery hit his seventh homer of the season to cut the deficit to 8-2.
Andrew Pullin delivered his seventh homer the very next inning - a solo shot off of Ball into the US Cellular Pavilion - to make it 8-3.
The clubs combined to walk 15 batters in the ballgame.
The Sea Dogs open a three-game series with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies tomorrow night at Hadlock Field. RHP Kevin McAvoy (1-2, 5.60) will start for Portland against RHP Corey Oswalt (3-2, 2.54) of Binghamton.
Listen live on the U.S. Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network beginning at 5:45 PM and watch on MiLB.TV starting at 5:55 PM.
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Eastern League Stories from May 7, 2017
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