PORTLAND — Baseball is all about redemption. Fail to produce in one instant, another opportunity will soon follow.
Mark Wagner came to the plate in the sixth inning Sunday with the bases loaded and no outs. He popped up to the first baseman.
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“I wanted to hit the stitches off the ball,” Wagner said.
Earlier, Alex Hassan struck out in the first and third innings. He easily turned the page.
“Sometimes, you strike out,” he shrugged.
Later in the game, both Wagner and Hassan came through in the clutch. Both recorded two-out, two-run hits as the Portland Sea Dogs beat the Erie SeaWolves 9-5 before a crowd of 5,830 at Hadlock Field.
Clutch hits were key. Besides the hits by Wagner and Hassan, catcher Matt Spring doubled in two runs with two outs in the sixth.
Wagner’s two-run double in the seventh put Portland up for good, 6-5. He scored on Will Middlebrooks’ RBI single.
Hassan’s single to center in the eighth broke the game open.
“That was a good job to finish strong with our offense,” Portland Manager Kevin Boles said. “We were productive with two outs.”
New reliever Josh Fields (2-0) allowed two runs over two innings, but picked up the win. Charlie Haeger started for Portland, allowing three runs (two earned) in six innings, and Blake Maxwell finished it with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Oscar Tejeda doubled home Portland’s first run with two outs in the second inning, but Erie got a run in the third and two in the sixth to take a 3-1 lead.
Spring’s double to left tied it. Then Erie went back ahead in the seventh, 5-3.
After Ryan Dent’s sacrifice fly in the bottom half, Wagner again came up with the bases loaded, this time with two outs.
“I had to make adjustments,” Wagner said. “I’ve been working on my swing.”
Wagner worked a full count before launching his double to deep center.
Middlebrooks singled home Wagner for his league-leading 77th RBI.
Hassan, who walked twice after his two strikeouts, made it 9-5 with his hit in the eighth.
“It was a tough pitch. I just tried to put it in play,” said Hassan, who is batting .296 with an .877 OPS.
The Sea Dogs improved to 51-69. They will take today off and play a three-day, four-game series in Reading, Pa., beginning Tuesday. They return to Hadlock Field on Friday.
NOTES: Ryan Khoury started in left field and added another Sea Dogs record to his resume. Khoury played his 304th game for Portland, tying Iggy Suarez for most games played with the Sea Dogs. Khoury already holds the record for most walks (157), runs (170) and plate appearances (1,257). He is four doubles behind Chih-Hsien Chiang’s record of 72. Khoury played most of the previous three seasons in Portland. The Red Sox released him in spring training this year, and Khoury played in an independent league before Boston resigned him June 21 and assigned him to Portland.
Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:
kthomas@pressherald.com
Twitter: ClearTheBases
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