Fisher Cats sweep doubleheader from Sea Dogs Sunday night
August 30, 2009 - Eastern League (EL1)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release
Manchester, NH- Todd Donovan led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run, highlighting a five-run first against Boston Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka, as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats took the opening game of a twi-night doubleheader with the Portland Sea Dogs, 5-3, at Merchantsauto.com Stadium. In game two, Nick Gorneault smashed his ninth home run to spearhead the Fisher Cats' fourth straight victory, a 4-2 triumph over the Sea Dogs before a crowd of 7,860 -a franchise-record 18th standing-room-only crowd of the season.
In the opener, Donovan (2-for-3, HR) launched Matsuzaka's third pitch of the game into the Poultry Products Dinner in the Den for his third homer, which was the Fisher Cats' first lead-off long ball of the season. After Scott Campbell (0-for-2, BB, R) walked, Brad Emaus (1-for-3, R) singled down the left field line, putting runners on the corners. David Cooper (1-for-3, 2B, RBI, R) then mashed a double to left, allowing Campbell to score. Matsuzaka walked Gorneault (0-for-2, BB, R), loading the bases. After Darin Mastroianni (0-for-3) struck out, Brian Jeroloman (1-for-2, 2B, BB, 2 RBI) knocked in a pair of runs with a double to the left-centerfield gap, and Bryan Kervin (1-for-2, SF, RBI) capped the five-run inning with a sac fly to right, plating Gorneault for a 5-1 lead.
Matsuzaka (0-1) rebounded to pitch a 1-2-3 second inning, but the damage was done. The Red Sox right-hander allowed five runs on four hits in two innings. He struck out two and walked three, throwing 58 pitches in his Major League rehabilitation assignment for the Sea Dogs.
Luis Perez (9-11) earned the win after allowing three runs -two earned- on four hits in six innings. The left-hander fanned five and walked two, reclaiming the league lead in innings pitched (157.1) and moving into a tie with Randy Boone for the team lead in wins.
Portland grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a two-out single by Jon Still (1-for-2, BB, RBI).
Juan Apodaca (1-for-2, HR, BB, 2 RBI) smashed a two-run homer, his fourth, off Perez in the top of the fourth inning.
Danny Farquhar struck out the side in a perfect ninth for his 13th save in 15 opportunities.
In game two, Donovan (1-for-3, RBI) staked the Fisher Cats (62-72) to a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the third against Felix Doubront, allowing Brian Van Kirk (2-for-3, 2B, R), who doubled, to score.
Gorneault (1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI), lofted a towering two-run blast into the den for his ninth homer, building New Hampshire's lead to 3-0 in the fourth.
Doubront allowed an unearned run to cross in the fifth when he threw wildly on Cooper's come-backer, allowing Campbell to score all the way from first, pushing the lead to 4-0.
The Sea Dogs (62-71) plated two runs against winning pitcher Wil Ledezma in the sixth on a two-run double by Ryan Khoury (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI), trimming the Fishers' lead to 4-2.
Ledezma (1-1) closed out his first New Hampshire victory by fanning Jorge Jimenez and Jon Still in the seventh. The left-hander struck out a season-high five over three innings of relief, allowing two runs on three hits and walking one.
In the losing effort, Doubront (8-6) was charged with four runs -three earned- on five hits in five innings, with three strikeouts and a walk.
The Fisher Cats seek a rare five-game series sweep when they take on the Sea Dogs in the final home game of the season on Monday night at Merchantsauto.com Stadium. New Hampshire right-hander Sean Smith (3-3, 2.76) is scheduled to get the start against Portland right-hander Ryne Miller (2-2, 1.88) in a 7:05pm game. Radio coverage begins at 6:45pm with the BayRing Pre-Game Show on the WGIR Fisher Cats Radio Network with Mike Murphy.
The first 2,000 fans on hand for the regular season home finale between the Fisher Cats and Sea Dogs on Monday night, August 31, at 7:05pm will receive a free Ted Williams Bobblehead, courtesy of the Ted Williams Museum. The original, game-worn New Hampshire Primaries uniforms will be auctioned off that night to benefit the Fisher Cats Foundation, which will, in turn, use the proceeds to help defray the costs of ongoing cancer treatment for Jami Gorneault, wife of Fisher Cats outfielder Nick Gorneault, at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. For more information, visit www.nhfishercats.com or call (603) 641-2005.
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