MANCHESTER, N.H. — The Portland Sea Dogs rallied late, but fell short in a series finale, dropping their final road game of the season to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 4-3 in Eastern League baseball action Thursday night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.
Portland trailed 3-0 after three innings and 4-1 after six, and couldn’t muster the tying run against the Fisher Cats bullpen.
New Hampshire put up two runs in the first off of Justin Haley (L, 5-16). After the first three batters reached on an error, walked, and singled to load the bases with nobody out, K.C. Hobson and Kevin Nolan hit back-to-back fielder’s choices to give the Cats a 2-0 lead. Both runs were unearned.
New Hampshire added a run on an RBI single by Nolan in the third. Haley allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking three and striking out two.
Portland got a run back in the fourth inning on an RBI ground-out by Carlos Asuaje, driving in Sam Travis, who had doubled to lead off the inning and advanced on a ground-out by Tim Roberson .
Conner Greene (W, 3-1) was impressive in his fifth start with the Fisher Cats, allowing just one earned run on five hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out two.
The Sea Dogs had an opportunity to even up the game in the seventh inning. Gregory Infante entered the game and after allowing a leadoff single to Keury De La Cruz, Infante walked three batters in a row to force in a run and cut the lead to 4-2.
Cory Burns entered the game to face Manuel Margot with the bases loaded and nobody out. Margot hit a sacrifice fly to center field to cut the lead down to one, but Jordan Weems got caught between second and third base after tagging up and eventually made it back to second base, where Cole Sturgeon advanced after tagging, and Sturgeon was called for a double play.
Portland had four runners thrown out on the basepaths during the game.
Blake McFarland closed out the game with two scoreless innings to pick up his 15th save and lock up the victory for New Hampshire in the Fisher Cats last home game of 2015.