Sea Dogs buzz by the B-Mets 8-7!
RHP Chad Rhoades earned his 5th win of the season, despite yielding three runs in 1.1 IP. RHP Bryce Cox stranded two runners in the top of the 9th inning for his 11th save in 13 opportunities.
LF Daniel Nava finished 3-for-5, 4 RBI and tied a franchise record with 3 doubles. The California native snapped a 4-4 tie with a 2-run double in the sixth inning. Nava has hit safely in 16 of 20 games with Portland, improving his average to .411 (30-for-73) with 4 HR and 17 RBI.
1B Lars Anderson hit a mammoth solo- homer to right field off RHP Emary Frederick. The homer for Anderson was his 9th of the season but his first since June 28 at New Hampshire. Portland led 7-4 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning but the B-Mets tied the game at seven. Chad Rhoades yielded singles to SS Ruben Tejeda and 1B Ike Davis. 3B Shawn Bowman followed with a 3-run blast over the left-field wall.
Anderson started the rally in the ninth inning off losing pitcher LHP Edgar Alfonzo (4-5) with a double down the left-field line. Pinch-runner Matt Sheely scored the game-winning run on Exposito's slicing 2-bagger with one out.
Binghamton jumped on the board first with three runs off RHP Ryne Lawson in the second inning due to a throwing error by Exposito. DH D.J. Wabick and RF Caleb Stewart opened the inning with walks against Lawson. CF Emmanuel Garcia dropped a sac-bunt in front of the plate but Exposito's attempted throw to second base sailed into right-center field, enabling two runs to score. LF Jonathan Malo laced a run-scoring single to left field, giving the Mets a 3-0 lead.
Lawson did not figure in the decision, allowing only four hits, four runs (two earned) on two walks and two strikeouts.
Portland rallied right back in the top of the third inning, scoring three times off RHP Jenrry Mejia. With one out, RF Jason Place singled and 2B Iggy Suarez walked. LF Daniel Nava smacked a 2-run double over the head of RF Caleb Stewart. Mejia retired LF Ryan Kalish on a ground out but 3B Jorge Jimenez laced a game-tying single to right.
SS Jose Coronado snapped a 3-3 tie with a solo-homer off Lawson to begin the bottom of the third inning. The homer for Coronado was his first of the season in 319 at-bats. Jimenez came through with his second 2-out RBI in the top of the fourth inning on a bases-loaded infield-single, tying the game at four. The fourth was the final frame for Mejia, who surrendered six hits, four runs, three walks and three strikeouts.
The Sea Dogs open up a 5-game series in four days on Friday night against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Merchantsauto.com Stadium beginning at 7:05 PM. Catch all the action on the U.S. Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network beginning at 6:35 PM with the Pre-Game Show built by CorrectDeck.
Notes...Anderson extended his hitting streak to five straight games, tying a season high...Nava has hit safely in 16 of 20 Double-A starts and picked up a season-high 4 RBI...Jimenez is second the organization with 78 RBI but has 23 with two outs...Portland finished the season series by taking 13 of 21 from the B-Mets and won their first road series since last month in New Britain.