Portland’s Stephen Scott got a high mark from manager Chad Epperson after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Tuesday at Hadlock Field. Let Portland win 6-4.
Portland Sea Dogs catcher Stephen Scott celebrated his 26th birthday on Tuesday. And let Sea Dogs fans celebrate with him in style.
Serves as Portland’s designated hitter. Scott hit his second home run of the game. The game was a three-out blast to right field with two hits in the bottom of the ninth inning. It gave Portland a 6-4 win coming from behind the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and sent what was left of the 4,801 fans into a frantic rush.
“I think the idea of the team is just trying to use the bat. One man can’t win. There were a lot of quality bats ahead of me leading up to that position,” said Scott, who hit a single to lead it into the fifth inning.
Portland’s Corey Rosier chased a deep drifting ball onto the caution track as teammate Ceddanne Rafaela looked on.
The win was the fourth in a row for the Sea Dogs (27-13), who extended their lead in number one over the Somerset Patriots in the Eastern League Northeast Division to 3 1/2 games. Portland’s third in at least four games this season.
Down 4-1 going into the bottom of nine, Portland’s rally began with a solo hit by lead hitter Phillip Sikes. After walking back for Nick Yorke and Ceddanne Rafaela, the Fisher Cats (20-19) pulled pitcher Alejandro Melean. To Troy Watson, Niko Kavadas made a deep sacrifice to center to score Sikes, and Nathan Hickey made a pitching error that saw Yorke cut New Hampshire’s lead to 4-3, but Rafaela was thrown out at the plate with an try. Scored in first, a walk to Chase Meidroth gave Scott the stage.
Scott said he was looking for a field to drive. And with Watson’s low slide, he found it.
“(Watson) is doing pretty well. So I just try to keep him in the middle of the zone and not try to do too much,” said Scott.
Portland’s starting pitcher CJ Liu allowed one run per strike while hitting eight and walking four in 5 1/3 innings.
It was a game in which both pitching officials tried to find the strike zone. Four Portland pitchers walked nine Fisher cats. while four New Hampshire water jugs combined for a walk with nine sea dogs. Those walks were nearly undoing Portland as three of the four Fisher Cats runs were scored by the hitter who took the free pass.
New Hampshire scored three points in eighth to break a 1-1 draw. Dylan Rock and Zach Britton led the opportunity for a walk. After reaching third, Rock scored wildly, Britton scored on a fielder’s pick, and Damiano Palmegiani scored on Orelvis Martinez’s single, New Hampshire’s first hit since Rock led the game with a pass. The ball went right for a 4-1 lead.
For four and a half innings, the game was a scoreless pitcher duel between Portland starter CJ Liu and New Hampshire’s Adam Kloffenstein. Both starters allowed only one run, while Liu was out eight and walked four in 5 1/3 innings.
After Scott’s first homer put Portland up to a 1-0 lead into the fifth. The Fishercats were tied at 1-1 in sixth place. When Rock scores Palmegiani’s sacrifice, flies to the left.
The Sea Dogs had scoreless chances throughout the game, but with 11 runners stuck at base, Sikes hit twice, including a double and a double-base hit. Luis Guerrero won and improved to 2-0. TS 1-2
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