READING, Pa. — Aaron Wilkerson posted a career-high 11 strikeouts but also needed to show poise Thursday night during the sixth inning of the Portland Sea Dogs’ opener.

Moments after misplaying a comebacker, Wilkerson recorded a pivotal strikeout. Williams Jerez then came on to get an inning-ending strikeout, and the Dogs preserved a 3-1 victory over the Reading Fightin Phils at FirstEnergy Stadium.

“I have all the confidence in the world in Aaron,” Portland Manager Carlos Febles said. “He’s a performer. He keeps his composure.”

Wilkerson allowed just three base runners in 52/3 innings to start the new season with a flourish. He allowed two hits and one walk.

“I’m extremely happy with the way I pitched,” Wilkerson said. “I had good control with all my pitches and I was able to keep the hitters off balance.”

Jake Romanski finished with three hits and Mike Miller added two for the Sea Dogs, who finished with 10. Jantzen Witte delivered a solo homer in the seventh and drove in two runs.

“This team has some offense,” Febles said. “I want this team to execute every night.”

Wilkerson set the tone by retiring the first nine hitters. He allowed one hit and one walk through five innings.

“Aaron relies on location,” Febles said. “His fastball is sneaky.”

In the sixth, Reading put runners on the corners with one out. Wilkerson and first baseman Jordan Weems each committed an error on the same play. Initially, Wilkerson misplayed a comebacker off the bat of J.P. Crawford with one out.

“I’m not exactly sure what happened there,” Wilkerson said. “I just stabbed at the ball.”

Then Weems couldn’t catch Wilkerson’s throw, allowing Jesmuel Valentin – who opened the sixth with a single – to advance to third.

But Wilkerson struck out Rhys Hopkins on a curveball, a pitch he said he saves for those kinds of situations.

Then Jerez got cleanup hitter Dylan Cozens looking with a hard slider to end the threat.

Wilkerson, who posted an 11-3 record last season across three levels, said he feels like his career is on the upswing.

“I prepared for this outing during spring training,” said Wilkerson, a 26-year-old who signed with the Red Sox in 2014 after pitching in three independent leagues.

“I’m very confident in my stuff.”

Miller’s double to right in the third staked Portland to a 1-0 lead, driving home Weems, who opened the inning with a bloop double to shallow left.

In the fifth, the Sea Dogs put runners at first and third on consecutive singles off Reading pitcher Alec Asher. Witte’s sacrifice fly made it 2-0 before his solo shot to left in the seventh.

The Phils avoided the shutout in the ninth against reliever Rob Wort. They used a walk, and consecutive hits by Jorge Alfaro and Jake Fox to get within 3-1.

Wort ended the game by getting Aaron Brown to fly to right with runners on second and third.

Related Stories