Pitching Staff Powerful, but Patriots Fall in Tight Loss to Portland
EL Somerset Patriots

Pitching Staff Powerful, but Patriots Fall in Tight Loss to Portland

Published on April 4, 2026 under Eastern League (EL)
Somerset Patriots News Release


Somerset Patriots pitcher Kyle Carr
Somerset Patriots pitcher Kyle Carr
(Somerset Patriots)

The Somerset Patriots fell to the Portland Sea Dogs by a score of 1-0 at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ on Saturday night.

Somerset's pitching staff struck out 11 batters in the game, marking its second consecutive game with 10-plus strikeouts. Somerset's pitching staff allowed just four hits, making it back-to-back games with four or fewer hits allowed. Across two games this season, the Patriots' pitching staff has allowed just three runs and seven hits, while striking out 24 batters in 18.0 IP.

LHP Kyle Carr (4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K) was tagged with the loss in his season debut.

LHP Xavier Rivas (2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) made his Double-A debut in relief of Carr.

Rivas struck out five consecutive batters across the fifth and sixth innings, marking the second consecutive game a Somerset pitcher has struck out five-plus batters in a row (Ben Hess, 7 consecutive strikeouts vs. Portland 4/3/26).

SS George Lombard Jr. (1-for-3, 2B, BB) collected his third extra base hit of the season with a leadoff double in the sixth inning. Lombard Jr. has six hits and has reached safely seven times through two games this season.

Lombard Jr. has hit a double in back-to-back games to start the season, marking the first time he's hit a double in consecutive games since 8/13/25 and 8/14/25 at Portland last season.

His six hits this season are the most among Patriots hitters and tied for the most in the Eastern League (Thomas Sosa, Chesapeake).

2B Marco Luciano (1-for-4, 2B) clubbed his second extra base hit of the season with a double in the fourth inning.

Through two games, Luciano has five hits, the second-most among Somerset hitters.

With doubles in back-to-back games, Luciano's two doubles this season are tied for the most on the Patriots' roster with George Lombard Jr. Luciano's doubles in back-to-back games are his first since 6/15/25 vs. Tacoma and 6/17/25 at Salt Lake last season in Triple-A.

Check out the Somerset Patriots Statistics

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Somerset Patriots pitcher Kyle Carr
Somerset Patriots pitcher Kyle Carr
   



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