It was a sellout crowd at Hadlock Field on Wednesday as the Portland Sea Dogs (71-41) took on the Reading Fightin’ Phils (45-64) in an Eastern League baseball matinee with a noon-time start.
It was a pitchers duel as neither team was able to get anything going offensively early in the game. It came down to late-game heroics, with Heiker Meneses driving in a pair of runs in the eighth for the 2-1 win.
Reading starting pitcher Adam Loewen (1-4) went six innings without surrendering a run despite walking five Sea Dog hitters, including three straight in the first inning. He escaped by striking out Jonathan Roof. Loewen finished with seven strikeouts and threw 119 pitches.
“He (Johnson) did a really good job, a hit in the first and pitched around a couple walks, but he was efficient with his pitches,” said manager Billy McMillon, after watching his southpaw throw just 94 pitches.
“To mix it up and get hitters offbalance is the key to any success,” said Johnson, who struck out four and walked three. “I threw a good mix of cutters in there, and I feel that’s the best that I pitched all year.
“I learned this pitch last year and played around with it. I threw it limited in spring training but it’s working.”
Entering the eighth inning, the Sea Dogs had stranded eight runners on base on six hits and were still looking to plate their first run. Michael Almanzar led off the inning against Reading reliever Seth Rosin with a hard-hit ball off the Maine Monster in left field, but was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double. Dave Chester followed with a single, and Austin Wright relieved Rosin. After a fielder’s choice, Roof singled to put two runners on. Colton Murray entered the game for the Phils and hung a pitch to Meneses, who stroked a two-run game-winning double off the left-field wall.
Meneses, who came into the game with a .185 batting average, knew it was a big hit.
“That hit was big for me and the team, we had more big hits then the other team, and we got that game for us,” said Meneses. “In that situation of the game that is what you try to do.”
The crowd became electric after this hit and at the end of the game the 7,368 fans rose to their feet in excitement for their Sea Dogs on the victory.
Noe Ramirez, who relieved Johnson in the eighth, retired all five Reading hitters that he faced to earn the win.
“Every win is a challenge. Guys stayed in the game and didn’t give in. They competed to the end,” said McMillon.
The Sea Dogs were led offensively by Meneses who was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Chester and Almanzar were also 2-for-3 with a walk each.
Reading was led by Dugan, who had the lone Reading hit.
The Sea Dogs are next slated to host the Trenton Thunder at Hadlock Field tonight at 6 p.m. in the first game of a four-game series to end the month of July.
Sea Dogs 2,
Fightin’ Phils 1
| At | Hadlock | Field | ||
| Reading | — | 100 000 000 — 1- 2-0 | ||
| Portland | — | 000 000 02X — 2-10-1 |
Adam Loewen, Seth Rosin (7), Austin Wright (8), Colton Murray (8) and Sebastian Valle; Brian Johnson, Noe Ramirez (8) and Blake Swihart. Double — (P) Heiker Meneses. Repeat hitters — (P) Michael Almanzar, Dave Chester, Heiker Meneses.
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