TRENTON, N.J. — The Trenton Thunder played small ball Wednesday and completed a three-game sweep of the Portland Sea Dogs with a 4-2 victory.

Trenton (57-47) scored three runs when the Sea Dogs were unable to complete double plays and another on a bunt single.

The Sea Dogs (39-66) lost 3-2 and 2-1 in the previous two games in the series.

The Thunder scored twice in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie, taking advantage of three walks issued by reliever Williams Jerez (1-1).

Jerez did pick off the leadoff hitter, Tony Rena, but then walked the next two, and Juan Graterol blooped a single to load the bases.

Cito Culver followed with what appeared to be a double-play grounder to short, but he beat the relay throw and the go-ahead run scored.

Rico Noel followed with a bunt up the third-base line to make it 4-2.

In the top of the ninth, Aneury Tavarez of Portland led off with a triple down the right-field line, but reliever Mark Montgomery struck out Manuel Margot, Carlos Asuaje and Sam Travis to end it. Portland finished with 11 hits but left 10 men on.

“It was just a matter of us leaving runners on base again,” said Portland Manager Billy McMillon. “We’ve been looking for the complete game of having multihits and good starting pitching, and good work from our bullpen.

“We’ve had two of them many times but not many complete ones. Jerez wasn’t consistent out there for us like he has been. The bunt base hit was the dagger for us.”

Sea Dogs starter Mike McCarthy, who won his last two outings, made his fourth start against Trenton this season. He’s 2-0 against them this year and 4-1 overall.

“(McCarthy) got into a little trouble in the first but he threw well after that,” said McMillon. “He’s been throwing well lately and seems to have everything together.”

Portland took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tim Roberson’s single scored Travis. But Trenton took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice on consecutive fielder’s choices when the Sea Dogs failed to convert double-play grounders.

McCarthy retired the next seven batters with little difficulty.

In the sixth, McCarthy allowed a leadoff single and a one-out walk. He was replaced by John Cornley, who got Taylor Dugas to line to second, then struck out Graterol.

McCarthy allowed two earned runs and five hits, striking out three and walking two.

The Sea Dogs had runners on second and third in the third with two outs, but Tzu-Wei Lin was called out on strikes. Portland left five runners on through the first three innings

In the seventh, Travis tied the game with an RBI single that extended his hitting streak to six games.

NOTES: Travis entered the game hitting in 21 of the last 25 games, 33 for 97 (.340), and has reached base in 29 of his 31 Double-A starts. … William Cuevas (8-5. 3.18) will open the Dogs’ four-game homestand against Harrisburg on Thursday night and will oppose Austin Voth (4-5, 2.82). … Roberson extended his hitting streak to seven games and he has multihits in six of those seven. … Portland has a 13-20 record in one-run games.

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