On a night when Portland Sea Dogs starter Keith Couch pitched a complete game, it may have been Portland hitting coach Jon Nunnally with the widest grin.

Nunnally watched his lineup bust out for 12 hits in a 7-1 win over the Hartford Yard Goats Saturday night before a crowd of 5,401 at Hadlock Field.

Andrew Benintendi and Danny Bethea hit solo home runs in the fifth inning. Benintendi finished 2 for 3 with a triple and two RBI.

Yoan Moncada doubled, tripled and walked in five plate appearances. He recorded an RBI, scored a run and stole a base. Moncada is 5 for 13 with a double, two triples and a home run in the series.

“He manages the zone pretty well for as strong as he is,” Nunnally said. “He is an impact bat, other than just being a leadoff guy. He’s got all the tools. He uses the whole field with power.”

Seven of the Sea Dogs got hits, led by Cole Sturgeon’s 4-for-4 night. Aneury Tavarez went 2 for 4 with a double and RBI.

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“Our approach at the plate was pretty good,” Portland Manager Carlos Febles said. “The guys didn’t try to do too much and they hit what they got.

“We kept putting pressure on and Couch set the tone for us.”

Couch (5-4) limited the Yard Goats to one run and five hits, walking none and striking out seven. It was the first nine-inning complete game by a Portland pitcher since 2013 – when Couch did the trick at Harrisburg.

The efficient Couch needed only 104 pitches (71 strikes). Working quickly, Couch induced 15 ground-ball outs.

“He kept our defense on their toes,” Febles said.

Hartford starter Zach Jemiola (6-5) looked in trouble from the start, walking the bases full with one out in the first, but escaped with a double play.

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In the third, Moncada led off with a double to the left-field corner. Benintendi later knocked him in with a groundout.

Hartford’s Ryan McMahon tied the game with a two-out solo home run in the fifth.

But the Sea Dogs came right back. Bethea led off the fifth with his first home run of the year, a blast clearing the left-field wall.

With two outs, Benintendi crushed a Jemiola fastball over the bullpen in right-center. Benintendi is second on the team in home runs (five) and RBI (27) in only 41 games.

“He’s adjusted (to Double-A),” Nunnally said. “He’s been solid since he’s been here and (now) he’s comfortable, and he’s got it going.”

Portland scored three more in the sixth – capped by Moncada’s RBI triple to the right-field corner – to take a 6-1 lead.

Benintendi tripled to right-center in the seventh and scored on a groundout.

NOTES: Sunday will mark the Hartford Yard Goats’ last appearance in Portland this year. The team continues to have stadium construction delays in Hartford, and will “host” the Sea Dogs next Friday and Saturday, using the Binghamton Mets’ stadium.

 


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