MANCHESTER, N.H. — The last time reliever Blake Maxwell of the Portland Sea Dogs pitched in Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, Moises Sierra got to him for a 12th-inning walk-off home run.
Maxwell got his revenge Saturday night with a two-plus innings of relief and a 3-2 victory against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
New Hampshire had its chances toward the end of the game and Maxwell shut the Eastern Division-leading Fisher Cats down.
“He works out of jams and he never gives in,” said Portland Manager Kevin Boles.
“You just watch him go about his business and he never panics. He’s able to slow things down and he makes quality pitches.”
Travis d’Arnaud and Sierra started the bottom of the ninth inning with singles, but Maxwell got a ground ball out of Yan Gomes that his defense turned into its third double play over the last six innings.
John Tolisano of the Fisher Cats earned a walk, but Jonathan Diaz grounded out to short to end the game.
The Sea Dogs improved to 5-9 at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium this season.
They will play their last game of the season in Manchester this afternoon.
Portland improved to 40-59 on the Eastern League season and the Fisher Cats dropped to 55-44.
Will Middlebrooks belted his 13th home run of the season to right field, scoring Chih-Hsien Chiang in front of him, to give the Sea Dogs a 3-1 lead in the top of the eighth.
Chiang had collected a double off Yohan Pino with one out in the inning.
Diaz and Craig Stansberry opened the bottom of the inning with back-to-back doubles for the Fisher Cats off Maxwell to get one run back.
Anthony Gose moved Stansberry to third with a sacrifice bunt, but Maxwell stranded him there with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
New Hampshire starter Joel Carreno got the first nine batters he faced, five by strikeout, but ran into trouble in the fourth inning.
Still, the Sea Dogs had a pair of doubles and a walk in the inning, but were unable to get anything out of them.
Ryan Khoury led off with a double and John Hee followed with a walk before Chiang popped out to shortstop.
With Middlebrooks up, Carreno picked Khoury off second. Middlebrooks doubled down the left-field line and a relay from left fielder John Tolisano to second baseman Diaz to the catcher d’Arnaud cut Hee, trying to score from first, down at the plate.
The Sea Dogs needed to collect four hits to get the first run of the game in the top of the fifth inning.
Khoury singled to right field to with the bases loaded and two outs to knock in Tim Federowicz, who had led off the inning with a single.
Meanwhile, the Sea Dogs turned double plays to end both the fourth and then the fifth innings.
Michael Lee was a short-notice starter for Portland when Alex Wilson was forced to forsake his scheduled start because of a sore left elbow.
Lee, a spot starter who was scheduled to pitch today, allowed only two hits over four innings.
He struck out two and walked none.
“He was outstanding,” Boles said.
“It’s a credit to him to be ready. It was a surprise to him when he came to the ballpark.
“He had a quality mix and he also kept the ball down in the zone.”
SEA DOGS NOTES: Ryan Dent, normally a shortstop, played his first game in center field for the Sea Dogs. He said it was his first game ever in the outfield, at any level. Khoury and Middlebrooks each had two of the eight hits for the Sea Dogs.
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