NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Another ninth-inning nightmare for the New Britain Rock Cats invoked a degree of sympathy Saturday night from Portland Sea Dogs Manager Arnie Beyeler.

For the third straight home game, the Rock Cats took a lead into the ninth inning only to see it wither away under a deluge of mistakes.

Chih-Hsien Chiang took advantage of a mental mistake to hit a game-tying two-run double, and a throwing error by third baseman Steve Singleton provided the tiebreaker as the Sea Dogs escaped with a 4-3 win before 6,080 at New Britain Stadium.

The Rock Cats (6-22) are 1-13 at home this season and 0-8 overall against the Sea Dogs (16-11). They dropped their previous two home games on three-run doubles in the ninth.

“We’ve all been on the other side, anybody that’s been in minor-league baseball awhile,” Beyeler said. “They’ve got a young team, and when you’re playing against guys that are 10 years older than some of them, that stuff happens.

“All you can say on our side of the fence is you enjoy it while you can because in the second half of the season, we may be on that side of the fence. We’ve all been there. You’ve just got to keep grinding. These kids are going to get better.”

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The Sea Dogs trailed 3-1 before a three-run rally in the ninth against Matt Williams (0-1).

Che-Hsuan Lin drilled a one-out single. Jose Iglesias hit a slow grounder to second baseman Yancarlos Ortiz, who tried for the force at second, but his throw was late.

Chiang then raked a shot into the right-field gap, scoring both runners.

Williams retired Juan Apodaca on a fly to right and intentionally walked Nate Spears. Ray Chang hit a grounder to Singleton, who bounced the throw to first as Chiang crossed with the winning run.

“Baseball is 27 outs and it’s nice when you’ve got a group of guys that play 27 outs every day and night,” Beyeler said. “That’s all you can ask for. Sometimes you’re fortunate, you can put some things together and good things happen. Our pitchers have been in those boats before. The ninth inning is a tough inning to pitch and the last out is a tough out to get.”

The Rock Cats have blown seven saves.

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Ryne Lawson (2-2) tossed three innings of one-hit ball in relief of Ryne Miller. Jason Rice retired the Rock Cats in order in the ninth to gain his fifth save.

The wind had a hand in the Rock Cats’ three-run inning against Miller in the third.

After Ben Revere drew a one-out walk, Singleton (3 for 5) singled and Rene Tosoni filled the bases with an infield single. Juan Portes made it 1-1 with a sacrifice fly, and Parmelee’s fly to center was beaten down by the wind for a two-run single.

The two-run lead was the largest the Rock Cats have had at home in 14 games.

Deolis Guerra pitched in hard luck in the third, when Portland took a 1-0 lead. He retired the first six Sea Dogs before Iglesias reached on a topper to third and continued to second on Singleton’s throwing error. With Iglesias on third and two outs, Spears tapped a grounder past the mound for an infield hit.

Miller allowed seven hits and three runs before giving way to Lawson in the sixth.

“If we play defense behind (Miller), he doesn’t give up those three runs,” Beyeler said. “We had a double-play ball we misplayed. We break back on a ball in the wind that drops. He should have been sitting back there with no runs.”

 


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