ERIE, Pa. – Like every manager, Kevin Boles of the Portland Sea Dogs wants his team to play error-free baseball.

He certainly didn’t get his wish Thursday night.

The Sea Dogs allowed two runs on throwing errors in the eighth inning in a 6-4 loss to the Erie SeaWolves before 2,361 fans at Jerry Uht Park.

“We had one bad inning on defense,” Boles said. “We didn’t take care of the baseball, especially the one play. Things got a little quick.”

After losing the first of this three-game series to the Sea Dogs (21-42), the SeaWolves (32-32) took the next two, but needed help in the eighth inning.

“Sometimes you preach you put pressure on the defense just to make the routine play,” Erie Manager Chris Cron said. “It’s happened to us before and it just happened to them in a difficult part of the game. We’ll take it and run with it.”

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With the score 4-4 and Francisco Martinez at first base for Erie, Portland reliever Eammon Portice (1-2) threw Rawley Bishop’s bunt high to right field.

Martinez beat a throw to the plate.

“Our pitcher got a little nervous trying to time (second baseman Oscar Tejeda covering on the play) getting there,” said Portland catcher Tim Federowicz. “He overthrew him and the ball rattled in the corner.”

In trying to throw out Bishop at second, Federowicz threw the ball high and deep into center field.

Bishop scored to give Erie a 6-4 lead.

“I didn’t have a grip on it,” Federowicz said. “I should have just held it. I was trying to keep the second run off second base. Trying to avoid the damage a little bit more.

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“It’s tough luck in that situation. He made a good bunt. We should have made a play and should have had the out, but it’s one of those things that happens.”

Portland, which committed no errors in its 5-4 victory Tuesday night, finished with four.

“The teams that win are the ones that can take care of the baseball,” Federowicz said.

Portland led 3-0, scoring in the first, second and fifth.

Erie scored four in the bottom of the fifth to take a 4-3 lead.

Portland then made it 4-4 on a bases-loaded balk in the seventh.

 


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