BINGHAMTON, New York — The Portland Sea Dogs enter the all-star break with a 32-57 record in the Eastern League after splitting a Saturday baseball doubleheader with the Hartford Yard Goats, winning the opener 10-7 but dropping the second game 5-4 in 11 innings at NYSEG Stadium.
The Sea Dogs, the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, are in last place of the the EL’s Eastern Division, 30 games behind the division leader, the Reading Fightin Phils (62-27).
Portland resumes the second half of its schedule on Thursday when they host the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field.
On Saturday, the twin bill was played in Binghamton with construction still under way on Hartford’s new field.
In the first game, the Sea Dogs received a hit from all nine starters, holding on for a 10-7 win while tying a season-high with 16 hits, as Mauricio Dubon and Cole Sturgeon finished with three hits each.
Portland lefthander Luis Ysla (2-3) earned his second Double-A win, firing three innings and giving up one run with three strikeouts.
The Sea Dogs took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Cody Decker. In Hartford’s half of the first, Noel Cuevas hit a leadoff homer and Ryan McMahon cranked a two-run shot.
The Sea Dogs tied the game in the third on a two-out, two-run homer by Tim Roberson, his third of the season. Hartford responded, taking a 4-3 lead in its half of the third on a sacrifice fly by Rosell Herrera.
Trailing 4-3, the Sea Dogs scored four times in the fourth inning to take a 7-4 lead. Aneury Tavarez launched the first pitch of the frame over the right-field wall. Later in the inning, Mauricio Dubon nailed a two-run double.
Hartford cut the deficit to 7-6, receiving a pair of RBI singles from Dillon Thomas and Pat Valaika. Mitch Atkins took a no-decision, giving up six runs on eight hits and striking out seven in four innings.
In the fifth, Portland struck for two runs off Shane Broyles as Sturgeon and Nick Lovullo had RBI singles.
Portland added a run in the seventh and Hartford’s Ashley Grater hit a solo-homer in the fifth, the only hit allowed by Ysla.
In the second game, Thomas delivered a bases-loaded single with nobody out in the bottom of the 11th to give Hartford the victory.
Austin House (4-0) worked two scoreless innings to earn the win. Williams Jerez (1-4) did not record an out, taking the loss.
Portland was down to its final strike in the seventh, but Decker nailed a run-scoring double, tying the game at four.
The Sea Dogs continued their hot hitting, scoring three runs with two outs on five hits in the first. Tavarez, Jake Romanski and Sturgeon had consecutive run-scoring hits.
Graeter hit his second homer of the day, clubbing a two-run homer in the second, cutting Portland’s lead to 3-2. Nik Turley worked the first three innings for Portland, giving up four hits and two runs.
Graeter did it again in the fourth, striking the foul pole for a solo homer off Jake Drehoff, tying the game at three.
In the fifth, Herrera doubled for the second time and this two-bagger gave the Yard Goats a 4-3 lead.