Yard Goats Score Ten Unanswered Runs, Beat Sea Dogs 10-4

Final: Hartford 10, Portland 4

WP: Jared Biddy (1-1)

LP: Zach Bryant (0-2)

T- 2:35

A- 6,850

Daniel Cope and Hunter Stovall each tallied three RBI's as the Hartford Yard Goats powered its way past the Portland Sea Dogs 10-4 on Friday night in front of a sellout crowd at Dunkin' Donuts Park. Cope cracked the go-ahead two-run double highlighting the Yard Goats four-run sixth inning. Michael Toglia and Jameson Hannah reached base three times as the Yard Goats scored 10 unanswered runs. Hartford improved to 7-3 on the current homestand and have won nine of their last 12 games.

Portland took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Dearden in the top of the fourth inning. A two run home run by Nick Sogard in the top of the fifth extended the Sea Dogs lead to 3-0. Hartford starting pitcher Noah Gotsis kept Portland off the board from there, hurling five innings of three run ball.

Hartford responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth, cutting Portland's lead to 3-2. Hunter Stovall and Max George set the table by reaching base with two outs. Then, Isaac Collins blooped a perfectly placed double into center field scoring both Stovall and George.

The Yard Goats poured it on scoring four times in the bottom of the sixth inning. Michael Toglia and Jameson Hannah both walked and Brenton Doyle reached on an error. With the bases loaded, Daniel Cope put Hartford in front 4-3 on a double lined in the right center gap scoring Toglia and Doyle. Hunter Stovall followed by smashing a double of his own down the left field line scoring Hannah and Cope to make the score 6-3.

In the seventh, Hannah's second hit, a single to left, scored Toglia to make it 7-3 Hartford. Cope followed with an RBI groundout and Stovall's second RBI single of the game made it 9-3. The Yard Goats added one more in the eighth when Toglia doubled off the right field wall to score Collins.

The Yard Goats continue their homestand against the Red Sox affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs on Saturday night at 6:05. RHP Mitch Kilkenny will start for the Yard Goats and RHP Victor Santos will start for the Sea Dogs. The two squads will play two more times this week, with the series concluding on Sunday