They dug out of a five-run hole but couldn’t protect a one-run, ninth-inning lead.
The Portland Sea Dogs fell 9-8 to the visiting New Britain Rock Cats on Wednesday night in the resumption of an Eastern League baseball game suspended by rain Tuesday night.
New Britain scored twice in the ninth off reliever Miguel Celestino, with Nate Hanson’s RBI double providing the tying run. Hanson scored on an infield grounder.
Lester Oliveros (2-1) struck out the side in the home ninth to earn the victory.
Earlier Wednesday, Blake Swihart’s twisting opposite-field double had given Portland a 7-5 lead, shortly after the game resumed with the score 5-5 and the Sea Dogs batting in the second inning.
Swihart’s two-out double scored Peter Hissey and Stefan Welch to give Portland a 7-5 lead. Hissey had walked Tuesday night and Welch on Wednesday afternoon.
Swihart and Bo Greenwell each had three hits for the Sea Dogs, who trailed 5-0 Tuesday night before coming to bat for the first time.
Wednesday’s regularly scheduled game was shortened to seven innings.
The Sea Dogs welcomed their eight millionth fan in franchise history late Wednesday afternoon. Jane Charron, 36, of Falmouth was greeted with balloons and a prize package after following her sons Camden (8) and Jackson (4) and husband Jamie through the turnstiles.
“We actually weren’t going to come until the second game,” Charron said of Wednesday’s doubleheader, which began at 5 p.m. with the resumption of Tuesday night’s suspended game. “But (Camden’s) baseball and lacrosse got canceled because the fields were too wet.”
The Sea Dogs bestowed Charron with a pair of season tickets for eight years, a jersey with the numeral eight, 16 gift cards for barbecue and groceries worth a total of $400 and the chance to throw out a ceremonial first pitch.
“I’m just dumbfounded with the whole thing,” said Charron, who had been following the run-up to the milestone event on social media. “At first it seemed like Candid Camera. I was thinking it was a set-up.”
The Charrons are a host family for the first time this year, of Sea Dogs pitchers Matty Ott and Mike McCarthy.
The Sea Dogs drew their five millionth fan in 2006, six millionth in 2008 and seven millionth in 2011.
Glenn Jordan can be contacted at 791-6425 or
Gjordan@pressherald.com
Twitter: GlennJordanPPH
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