Kehrt Tosses Five Perfect Innings in 12-0 Win

Portland, Maine- Jeremy Kehrt tossed five perfect innings and Jeremy Hazelbaker launched two home runs as the Sea Dogs defeated the Reading Phillies 12-0 Wednesday afternoon at Hadlock Field before a crowd of 6,180. The Sea Dogs improve to 42-56 on the season completing a 5-2 homestand taking two of the three games from the Reading Phillies (49-47).

Sea Dogs' pitchers combined on a two hit shutout Wednesday and have now thrown 20 consecutive shutout innings. Kehrt (4-3) fired five perfect frames throwing 59 pitches, 39 for strikes recording five strikeouts and lowering his ERA to 4.71.

Chris Balcom-Miller picked up right where Kehrt left off in relief of the Portland starter continuing the perfect game through six innings. In the seventh D'Arby Myers broke-up the perfect game with an infield single but was quickly erased when Caser Hernandez grounded into a double-play. Balcom-Miller tossed two innings of scoreless relief giving up just one hit and striking out three. Aaron Kurcz closed out the final two frames for the Sea Dogs to complete the shutout. Sea Dogs' pitchers faced just one batter over the minimum.

On the offensive side, Jeremy Hazelbaker went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a walk, four runs scored and five RBI. Before being retired on a foul pop-up to first base in the seventh, Hazelbaker had reached base in 11 consecutive plate appearances.

Trevor May (7-7) walked Jackie Bradley Jr. to lead-off the game and Hazelbaker followed by launching a two run homer to give the Sea Dogs a quick 2-0 lead.

A Bradley walk and a Hazelbaker single put two runners on for Marquez Smith in the fifth inning when he swatted a May offering just inside the left field foul pole for a three run home and a 6-0 Sea Dogs lead.

Hazelbaker struck again in the sixth inning, hitting an opposite field three run shot off Ryan Duke over the Maine Monster for a 9-0 lead. The home run was his 13th of the season and ties him with Reynaldo Rodriguez for the team lead. Marquez Smith tripled and scored when Peter Hissey reached on an error by shortstop Troy Hanzawa.

Zach Gentile added a RBI double in the seventh and Jackie Bradley Jr. picked-up an RBI with a sacrifice fly.

The Sea Dogs hit the road for a four-game weekend series with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays) starting off with a 7:05 PM contest Thursday night. Right-handed pitcher Stolmy Pimentel (3-4, 5.37) will get the start for the Sea Dogs. He will be opposed by New Hampshire righty Chad Jenkins (4-9, 5.55). All of the action can be heard live on 95.5/ 95.9 FM WPEI. The Sea Dogs return to Hadlock Field for a three game series against the Trenton Thunder (Yankees) July 23-25.