Sea Dogs Fall Short 9-6 as Patriots Hit Walk-off Home Run

Bridgewater, NJ - The Portland Sea Dogs (12-12) lost 9-6 against the Somerset Patriots (10-14) on Thursday night, battling through tough weather conditions as Coby Morales ended the game on a walk-off home run.

Franklin Arias hit his eighth home run of the season to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning, recording his 20th RBI in his twentieth game of the season. Miguel Bleis and Brooks Brannon each launched their second home runs of the season as Portland recorded its seventh multi-home run game this year. Bleis’ home run came off LHP Carlos Rodon, pitching for the Patriots on a Major League rehab assignment from the New York Yankees.

Somerset needed just two batters to jump out in front. Jace Avina led off with a single, and Garrett Martin followed that up with a home run, taking the lead 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning.

Nelly Taylor recorded the Sea Dogs’ first hit against Rodon in the third inning, roping a single to right field and stealing second. He reached as far as third before Somerset retired the side.

Miguel Bleis put the Sea Dogs on the board in the fifth inning, launching a line-drive home run to left field off Rodon, cutting the Patriots’ lead to one, 2-1.

Neither team scored again until the seventh inning when Somerset added three insurance runs. Miguel Palma walked, stole a base, and came home to score on a Jace Avina single. With Avina on base again, Martin hit his second two-run home run of the night, mirroring the sequence from the first inning, extending the lead to 5-1.

The Sea Dogs found momentum in the eighth inning. Marvin Alcantara reached on an error by the shortstop with one out and advanced to second on a Nate Baez single. Brooks Brannon stepped in on the right side and blasted his second home run of the season, a three run shot, to pull Portland within one, 5-4.

Somerset extended their lead in the bottom half, as DJ Gladney singled, advanced on a Palma hit by pitch, and came home to score on an Owen Cobb double. Cobb tried to extend the double into a triple, which would have scored Palma, but he was caught at third, and Palma’s run was wiped off the scoreboard.

Portland was not done yet. In the top of the ninth, Ahbram Liendo walked to reach base and flip the order, teeing up Franklin Arias. Arias went long to center field and tied the game with one swing of the bat, 6-6, for his eighth home run of the season. It is the third time that Arias has hit a home run to tie or win a game in the ninth inning, with all three occurring in the last week.

Unfortunately, that’s where the battle ended for the Sea Dogs, as reigning Eastern League Player of the Week Coby Morales blasted a three-run homer to walk off the game for the Patriots, 9-6.

LHP Xavier Rivas (1-2, 7.07 ERA) earned the win for Somerset despite giving up five runs, four earned, on three hits and two walks, including Arias’ game-tying home run, in 3.0 innings pitched. RHP Cooper Adams (3-1, 5.06 ERA) recorded the loss after allowing four runs on four hits through two innings of work.

RHP Jedixson Paez (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will start for the Sea Dogs, facing off against Somerset’s LHP Kyle Carr (1-3, 9.56 ERA) tomorrow night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 pm.