Danny Mars dropped a perfect safety squeeze bunt that turned into an RBI single in the second inning. The Portland Sea Dogs led 4-0 and all was good.

Then it all went flat.

The Sea Dogs (21-21) managed only three hits after that as the Trenton Thunder rallied for an 8-6 win Friday night at Hadlock Field.

The Thunder (30-16) scored three runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Trey Ball (1-4) took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on 11 hits and two walks over 52/3 innings.

Portland’s Trey Ball pitches against the Trenton Thunder Friday at Hadlock Field.

Trenton added two runs in the ninth off Yankory Pimentel.

Joseph Monge’s two-run single cut Portland’s deficit to 8-6 in the bottom of the ninth, but the rally ended there.

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Portland jumped on Trenton starter Josh Rogers (1-0) for four runs on five hits in the second inning.

But Rogers, making his Double-A debut, settled down and retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced, walking the other.

Portland’s Josh Tobias turns a double play as Billy McKinney tries to break it up.

“Came out pretty good in the first, and the second inning was a little humbling,” Rogers said. “Just making better quality pitches was the main thing. Working the ball down (mostly with) fastball/change-up. The slider was a little shaky.”

Rogers is another impressive pitcher in the Yankees organization. Trenton leads the Eastern League in ERA (2.63). Portland is fifth (3.82).

Ball escaped jams early in the game, pitching four scoreless innings. But an error, three hits and two walks accounted for three Trenton runs in the fifth.

In Ball’s previous start, also against Trenton, he pitched two perfect innings before giving up five runs in the third.

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Portland’s Jeremy Barfield rounds third base on his way to score.

“That’s been the story of his season,” Portland Manager Carlos Febles said. “The first few innings, he’s really sharp. It seems like the second time through the lineup, he hits the wall. I thought his stuff was pretty good, but he was missing in the middle of the plate and up. They squared up pretty good against him.”

Ball left in the sixth inning with two outs and runners on first and third. Both scored off reliever Josh Smith, bumping Ball’s ERA up to 5.23.

Mike Olt paced Portland with a double and an RBI single. Jeremy Barfield, who just signed with the Red Sox, also had a single and a double.

NOTES: The announced paid attendance was 6,992. … Rafael Devers’ mini-slump continued with an 0-for-4 night (two strikeouts). He is in a 2-for-25 skid, and his average is down to .292. Devers made some solid plays at third but also committed two errors, allowing a hard grounder through his legs and later dropping the ball after fielding a grounder cleanly. … During their last road trip, the Sea Dogs released utility player Jose Rosario, 25, a minor league free agent from the Yankees organization. Rosario played 16 games, batting .140. … Barfield, 28, was signed Thursday by the Red Sox and was assigned to Portland. The son of former major leaguer Jesse Barfield, he was playing for the Sugar Land (Texas) Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League. … Left-hander Jake Drehoff, who appeared in 22 games for Portland last year, has been activated from the disabled list for the first time this season and was assigned to low Class A Greenville.

Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: ClearTheBases


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