They started in comfortable 66 degrees, and Portland Sea Dogs fans settled in Wednesday for one of the nicest nights at Hadlock Field this season. A great time to play a doubleheader.
To top that, the Sea Dogs’ staff gave away the remaining Mookie Betts bobblehead dolls from the postponed game the night before.
What could spoil the night?
Answer: The Akron RubberDucks.
Akron, the worst-hitting team in the Eastern League, teed off on Portland pitching, sweeping the Sea Dogs 21-4 and 7-6 in extra innings on a home run by red-hot Luigi Rodriguez – 7 for 8 on Wednesday with two homers.
And, yes, you read that first score correctly. The 21 runs were the most ever allowed by a Sea Dogs team – and it was a seven-inning game (the length of minor league doubleheaders).
Despite the rout, a good number of fans remained for the second game, including the Eagles team of the Westbrook Little League.
The Eagles could commiserate. They lost an afternoon game 12-5 before heading to Hadlock Field.
“It’s a good day to come out,” said Bryan Harvie, one of the Eagles’ coaches. While Harvie talked between games, his players feasted on an assortment of fried dough and Sea Dogs (ice cream) biscuits. If they were upset over the losses, they hid their disappointment well, even after the hometown team lost by 17 runs.
Harvie, 41, knows that routs are part of the game. He used to play ball for the University of Maine in the late 1990’s.
“It happens. That’s baseball,” Harvie said. “Hopefully the second game will be better.”
It didn’t take long to look bad. Akron scored five runs in the top of the first inning.
This was an Akron team (26-28) that entered Wednesday with a league-last .237 average.
The RubberDucks pounded out 22 hits in the first game – more than in their previous three games combined.
In the first game, newly signed pitcher Elih Villanueva (0-1) made his Hadlock Field debut and gave up eight runs (seven earned) in 31/3 innings. Reliever Williams Jerez allowed eight more in the fifth and the rout was on. Luis Ysla relieved Jerez and gave up five runs.
Catcher Francisco Mejia, the Cleveland Indians’ No 1 prospect, hit two home runs for Akron, going 4 for 6 with six RBI.
Jake Drehoff made the spot start for Portland in Game 2. He lasted three innings, allowing six runs (five earned). New reliever Bobby Poyner pitched four scoreless (three hits, six strikeouts).
Down 6-1, the Sea Dogs (24-30) closed to 6-5 after Rafael Devers’ RBI double off the left-field wall in the fourth. Mike Olt tied it with his eighth home run in the fifth inning.
In the eighth, Josh Smith (2-1) relieved Poyner. Rodriguez tagged him for a homer into the right-field pavilion.
NOTES: The announced paid attendance was 4,419. … Devers went 1 for 7, dropping his average to .302. … Nick Longhi of Portland went 3 for 6 over two games with a walk, two doubles and three RBI. … Cleveland Indians pitcher Danny Salazar joined the RubberDucks on a rehab assignment although he isn’t scheduled to pitch any games this week.
Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:
kthomas@pressherald.com
Twitter: @ClearTheBases
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