MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Sea Dogs bounced back nicely.

Stifled and no-hit by the Fisher Cats on Monday night, Portland rebounded with a pair of wins Wednesday night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

The teams close out the four-game series tonight.

The Sea Dogs snapped a three-game losing streak with a 7-6 win in eight innings in the first game.

They closed in on the Fisher Cats in the standings with a 3-2 triumph in the second game.

Portland improved to 17-28 and is a half-game behind New Hampshire (17-27) in the Eastern Division.

Right-hander Billy Buckner led the Sea Dogs in Game 2.

“He’s had some recent outings where his execution has been exceptional,” said Portland pitching coach Bob Kipper. “He’s pitching with a lot of confidence.”

He did again Wednesday night.

Buckner pitched six scoreless innings last Friday against Binghamton and nearly matched that effort.

Mike McDade hit a homer off Buckner with one out in the sixth to make it 3-1. Sean Ochinko homered off reliever Josh Fields with one out in the seventh. A strikeout and groundout ended the game.

Buckner allowed five hits and struck out six in his six innings.

Jeremy Hazelbaker doubled in Ryan Dent, who had walked, to give the Sea Dogs a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

Bryce Brentz gave Buckner and the Sea Dogs some breathing room with a two-run home run in the sixth.

The Sea Dogs rallied for three runs in the top of the eighth in the opener to grab a 7-4 lead and ended up needing each of the runs.

Derrik Gibson, the No. 7 hitter, led off with a double down the left-field line. Zach Gentile reached on a bunt single with Gibson moving to third. Gibson scored the go-ahead run and Gentile went to second when Cats reliever Ronald Uviedo balked.

A sacrifice bunt by Heiker Meneses got Gentile to third and then Hazelbaker walked. Juan Carlos Linares followed with the big blow, a two-run double off the wall in left field.

Linares had homered to left field to open the Portland scoring in the third inning.

Caleb Clay relieved Brock Huntzinger to start the bottom of the eighth.

The Fisher Cats came up with a couple of quick runs to close to 7-6.

But they got no closer.

Clay walked Brian Bocock to open the inning. Brad Glenn then drilled a 2-1 pitch down the line in left field to slice Portland’s lead to a run.

Clay got Brian Jeroloman to pop to second baseman Gentile, Brad McElroy grounded to second and Ryan Goins was out on a grounder to first to finish off the Fisher Cats.

The Sea Dogs, no-hit for the first time in six years Monday night, wasted no time in turning that around.

Hazelbaker walked to open the game and Ronald Bermudez promptly knocked him in with a double.

Mike McDade put the Fisher Cats up with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first.

Portland answered with three runs with two outs in the bottom of the third. Linares had the homer and Gibson chipped in with a two-run double.

The Sea Dogs led 4-2 through four innings, but the Fisher Cats tied it with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth.