Sea Dogs Historic Season Comes to an End

Portland, Maine - The Portland Sea Dogs (2-3) had their remarkable and historic season come to an end with an 8-5 loss to the Binghamton Mets (3-2) in the decisive Game Five of the Eastern League's Eastern Division Championship Series, Sunday afternoon at Hadlock Field. The win for the Mets sets a heavyweight title bout between them and the Richmond Flying Squirrels, which will begin Tuesday in Game One of the Eastern League's Championship Series.

The scoring started early and right out of the gate for Binghamton as they began the decisive game with two runs in the first frame against Luis Diaz. Brandon Nimmo sparked the frame with a leadoff double and scored two batters later on Brian Burgamy's double to left center, giving the Mets the 1-0 lead. 

Darrell Ceciliani followed with a two-out walk and Travis Taijeron capped off the inning with an RBI single to left and Binghamton was out in front 2-0. 

Portland wasn't fazed by the early deficit and came out with a run of its own in the bottom half of the inning against the Mets' starter Gabriel Ynoa. Rusney Castillo had an opposite field double to right-center and scored from third on a single by David Chester with two down, making it 2-1. 

The second and third innings were scoreless for both sides, but the floodgates opened up in the form of a six-run fourth for the Mets. 

Wilfredo Tovar drove home the first run of the inning with an RBI single to center, which plated Taijeron from second and made it 3-1. Nimmo hit a single to right, on which Tovar advanced from first to third and scored on a throwing error by Jonathan Roof in right, making it 4-1. Diaz (0-1) walked and hit a batter with two down to load the bases before his outing came to an end. 

Dayan Diaz came in from the 'pen and gave up a bases clearing, three-run double off the Maine Monster to Darrell Ceciliani and Binghamton held the 7-1 lead. Taijeron capped off the frame and made it 8-1 with an RBI single.

Portland wasn't out of it against Ynoa (1-0) as they began to mount a comeback with a run in the fourth, the fifth, and two more in the sixth cutting it 8-5. Shannon Wilkerson hit a solo shot over the Monster for the first run in the fourth. Castillo knocked home the second run with an RBI single, making it 8-3. 

The sixth inning saw Roof connect for a double, which scored Stefan Welch, and an RBI single by Heiker Meneses off of Hansel Robles, making it 8-5. 

That would be all the scoring in the game as Binghamton held on to take home the Eastern League's Eastern Division crown. 

Both bullpens were tremendous over the final four innings. Portland sent Diaz, Robby Scott, and Wilfredo Boscan to the hill and they combined to allow just one run over five and one-third innings. Scott retired eight of the nine men he faced. 

On the other side of the hill it was Robles and Cody Satterwhite who finished up the clincher. Robles went two and one-third scoreless and Satterwhite pitched a scoreless ninth, earning the save. 

The starter Diaz took home the loss lasting just three and two-thirds, allowing seven runs, all earned on eight hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Ynoa brought home the win in the finale, working five and two thirds, allowing five runs, all earned, on nine hits, a walk, and eight strikeouts.