EL1 Portland Sea Dogs

\'Dogs fall in extra-innings 9-8 in Altoona

Published on August 13, 2009 under Eastern League (EL1)
Portland Sea Dogs News Release


(Altoona, PA) - Altoona's SS Brian Friday lined an 0-2 pitch up the middle to score 2B Ray Chang and give the Altoona Curve (49-69) a 9-8, 10-inning victory over the Portland Sea Dogs (57-59) on Thursday night at Blair County Ballpark. Portland dropped 2 of 3 in the series and finished the season 3-3 against the Pirates affiliate.

RHP Scott Nestor (1-2) tossed 1.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts to earn his first win in a Curve uniform. RHP Bryce Cox (0-5) took the loss, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits in 1.2 IP. Altoona stranded 17 runners on base and finished 4-for-16 with runners-in-scoring position. Portland's pitchers walked 12, struck out 12 and yielded 13 hits over 9.2 IP.

In the bottom of the 10th inning, 2B Ray Chang started the rally with an infield hit and stole second base. C Miguel Perez walked and Friday delivered the 2-out game-winner.

DH Jon Still gave the Sea Dogs an 8-7 lead in the top of the ninth inning with a sacrifice fly to right field. Altoona tied the game in their half of the ninth on a sac-bunt by Friday. Cox attempted the out at third base on the bunt but the throw sailed down the left-field line to score Perez.

The Curve tied the game at seven in the bottom of the eighth inning off LHP Andrew Dobies. 3B Pedro Alvarez led off with a double and scored on a single by RF Miles Durham. On the single, CF Ryan Kalish misplayed the hit, allowing Durham to take third base. Dobies uncorked a wild pitch with DH Jonel Pacheco batting to tie the game.

Portland snapped a 5-5 tie in the fourth inning off Curve reliever RHP Jared Hughes. With one out, RF Daniel Nava singled, advanced to second base on a wild pitch and scored on C Luis Exposito's RBI single to left field. The Sea Dogs grabbed a 7-5 lead in the seventh inning when a wild pitch by Hughes scored 3B Jorge Jimenez.

The Sea Dogs tagged RHP Tim Alderson (ND, 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER) in the first inning, scoring four runs on four hits. 2B Iggy Suarez and Kalish set the table with singles, putting runners at first and third. Jimenez drove in the first run with a ground out and Nava launched a 3-run homer to right. Gabbard yielded a run in the first inning on a run-scoring double by Alvarez, scoring CF Gorkys Hernandez.

Jimenez gave Portland a 5-1 lead in the second inning with an RBI single, scoring Suarez, who began the rally with a single and a stolen base. Portland starter LHP Kason Gabbard returned to the Sea Dogs after a 5-game rehab stint with the Lowell Spinners and lasted only 2.2 IP. Gabbard yielded a grand slam to Chang with two outs in the third inning to tie the game at five. The lefty allowed seven walks, four hits on five runs with five strikeouts.

Portland opens up a 3-game weekend series on Friday night against the Bowie Baysox beginning at 7:05 PM from Prince George's Stadium. Catch all the action on the U.S. Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network beginning at 6:35 PM with the Pre-Game Show built by CorrectDeck.

Notes... Nava has homered in back-to-back games and reached base safely in nine times in the series...Exposito finished the series 8-for-14, 6 RBI, 2B...Portland was the first team this year to score five earned runs off Alderson...The Sea Dogs are 8-8 during a 26-game stretch against the Southern Division.




Eastern League Stories from August 13, 2009


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