Loewen Shines, But Playoff Bid Goes Dark
August 29, 2013 - Eastern League (EL1)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release
MANCHESTER, N.H. - In the final home game of the regular season, Adam Loewen went 2-4 with a double, an RBI, and an outfield assist, but the Fisher Cats (67-70) fell to the Portland Sea Dogs, 9-3, at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. With the loss, the Fisher Cats have been eliminated from playoff contention, barring any cancelled games between the Sea Dogs (67-70) and Trenton Thunder over the final weekend of the regular season.
Portland scored first on Thursday night, netting a pair of runs in the first inning against Casey Lawrence. A lead-off home run made it 1-0 before a three-base error and a ground out pushed Portland out front, 2-0.
The Fisher Cats answered over the second and third innings to take a 3-2 lead. In the second, Pierce Rankin picked up his second run batted in of the season with a single to center field. Loewen doubled home a run in the third, and then scored on a single by Nashua's Kevin Nolan.
That was the final lead for the Fisher Cats. Portland tied it on a sacrifice fly in the fifth, leaving Lawrence with a final line of 5.0 innings, three runs (two earned), two walks, and two strikeouts.
The Sea Dogs took the lead in the sixth against Tyson Brummett (L; 1-7) on a run-scoring double play. They tacked on two more in the eighth against Brummett before a three-run ninth capped the rout with Evan Crawford on the hill.
Loewen went 2-4 in the home finale, driving in his 59th run with his third-inning double. He also cut down a potential run at the plate on a single in the top of the ninth. Nolan reached base twice on the night while Jonathan Jones had a single and an outfield assist in his Double-A debut.
Portland's Keith Couch (W; 11-3) earned the win for Portland, which took three of four in the series. JC Linares provided most of the offense once again, going 4-5 with four extra-base hits. He finished the four-game series with 11 hits including two doubles, a triple, three homers, and ten RBI.
The Fisher Cats now hit the road for Labor Day Weekend for the final series of the season against the first-place Binghamton Mets. Friday's series-opener begins at 7:05 p.m. RHP Deck McGuire (9-9, 4.96) takes the hill against Binghamton's Darin Gorski (5-1, 2.01). You can follow the game beginning at 6:45 p.m. with Tom Gauthier and Chris Shuker on the WGIR Fisher Cats Radio Network and at www.nhfishercats.com.
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Eastern League Stories from August 29, 2013
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