Following the first-inning scare, baseball resumed at Hadlock Field, with the Portland Sea Dogs beating the Trenton Thunder 2-1 Monday night. Keury De La Cruz knocked in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.
The game became secondary when Trenton pitcher Brady Lail collapsed on the mound after Jantzen Witte’s line drive crashed into Lail’s jaw.
tuesday's game
WHO: Trenton Thunder (Miguel Sulbaran 2-1) at Portland Sea Dogs (TBA)
WHEN: 6 p.m.
Thunder coaches and trainer Lee Meyer sprinted out of the dugout to Lail, while Witte took a knee at first base.
“That was one of scariest times I’ve ever been through,” Witte said. “It looked like he got his glove up too late. I thought it was going to hit him in the temple … I was just really nervous. And I was really thankful he got up.”
Lail eventually sat up, to applause from the small Hadlock crowd. He was helped to his feet and walked off the field under his own power. Trenton Manager Al Pedrique said Lail seemed OK, but went to Maine Medical Center and would likely stay overnight as a precaution.
“It was scary,” Pedrique said
Trenton was forced to use a committee of relievers and they held Portland scoreless through six innings.
Meanwhile, Sea Dogs starter William Cuevas walked a tightrope, allowing a runner in scoring position in all six innings he pitched.
Cuevas pitched five shutout innings and almost escaped the sixth after giving up a leadoff single and double. Dante Bichette’s one-out sacrifice fly to right center gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead.
Cuevas finished the sixth, dropping his ERA to 2.93. While he walked three, he struck out six, keeping Trenton off balance with his change-up, slider and curve, along with a 90 mph fastball.
“He knows what he’s doing out there,” catcher Tim Roberson said. “I’ve been around him a while. I put down the fingers and he executes.”
Portland tied the game in the seventh off Trenton’s fourth pitcher, Kyle Haynes (0-3). After a single (De La Cruz) and walk (David Chester), Reed Gragnani dropped down a perfect bunt between the mound and third-base line. Haynes fielded it and fired wild to first base. De La Cruz scored and Chester reached third.
With one out, Roberson hit a medium fly ball to right field. Chester tried to score, but Aaron Judge threw a strike home for the out.
In the eighth, the Sea Dogs got another unearned run. After Carlos Asuaje’s one-out single, Witte hit a hard grounder to shortstop Vincente Conde, whose throw to second was wild and rolled into right field. After a walk loaded the bases, De La Cruz’s fly to right scored Asuaje.
“Luckily, something good happened to us,” said Witte as the Sea Dogs (12-19) stopped a four-game losing streak.
Kyle Martin (1-0) got his first victory with three perfect innings of relief, striking out the first four batters he faced.
NOTES: The announced paid attendance was 4,006. … The Sea Dogs have not announced a starting pitcher for Tuesday but Justin Haley (0-3) said he expects it to be him. Haley has been on the disabled list with a slight groin strain. … Trenton dropped to 14-17 on the year.
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