With a game-time temperature of 85 and a healthy breeze blowing out, Hadlock Field became a launching pad Friday night.

“I think we knew from batting practice on, it was going to be a good night to hit,” said Sea Dogs outfielder Tony Renda. “They just did more than we did.”

The Sea Dogs and Reading combined for nine home runs, six of them off the bats of the Fightin Phils, who pulled away for a 12-5 victory before a sellout crowd of 7,368.

Sea Dogs starter Mike Shawaryn pitched five innings and allowed two runs, both solo homers. The Sea Dogs gave up a total of six in the 12-5 loss to the Reading Fightin Phils on Friday night at Hadlock Field.

The loss kept the Sea Dogs (16-29) in the Eastern League cellar. The five-game series against Reading (17-27) continues with a doubleheader Saturday afternoon.

The Phils inflicted most of their damage in the final three innings, after Portland had pulled into a 4-4 tie heading into the seventh inning. Sea Dogs starter Mike Shawaryn allowed seven hits, including two solo homers, but departed after five innings with the score 2-1. He fanned the last two batters he faced to escape a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fifth.

“He didn’t have his best stuff,” Sea Dogs manager Darren Fenster said. “But he finds a way to still get through five innings and only give up two runs. That keeps us in a position to be in the ballgame.”

Renda’s home run in the fifth was only the second hit allowed by Reading starter Jo Jo Romero (2-4), who gave up two more home runs in the sixth. Jeremy Rivera and Jantzen Witte both went deep to tie the score at 4.

Sea Dogs first baseman Jantzen Witte makes a big stretch to make the catch after Reading’s Jiandido Tromp hit an infield grounder.

“Today was kind of a home run derby,” Renda said. “People are all ready for summer to get here, probably the locals included.”

Indeed, the vocal and enthusiastic crowd stuck around for post-game fireworks. The in-game display of power included two home runs from Reading’s No. 9 batter, second baseman Emmanuel Marrero, who entered the game hitting .169 and went 3-for-4 to reach .200.

Yan Hernandez delivered the most damaging blast, a three-run homer over the Maine Monster on a 3-and-0 count against reliever Adam Lau to give Reading an 8-4 lead. Deivi Grullon, Damek Tomscha and Zach Green also homered for Reading.

Since becoming a Red Sox affiliate in 2003, the Sea Dogs had never given up six home runs to an opponent. As a Marlins affiliate, however, the Sea Dogs saw seven balls sail out of Hadlock in a 16-2 loss to Binghamton in the original “Field of Dreams” game on August 15, 1997.

“We saw in BP the ball was flying out of the field,” said Hernandez, who also tripled and singles twice in his Hadlock debut Friday night. “We know if we keep the ball in the air, good things will happen.”

Josh Ockimey had three of Portland’s 11 hits, all of them to the left of second base against a shift that deployed three infielders to the right side, including Marrero in shallow right field.

“I was going with the pitch,” Ockimey said. “I really want to ignore (the shift), but when you’re looking at the pitcher, you see the shortstop right behind him. I just go up with the same plan, to get a good pitch to hit.”

The Sea Dogs added their final run on back-to-back two-out doubles in the eighth by Tate Matheny and Josh Tobias. Both Tobias, rushing in from third base on a popped bunt attempt, and catcher Isaias Lucena, on a foul pop near the screen that drifted back toward the plate, made diving catches warmly received by the big crowd.

“Exciting park,” said Reading manager Greg Legg. “Entertaining games are usually played here. The fans were great. They were so into the game.”

Glenn Jordan can be contacted at 791-6425 or

Gjordan@pressherald.com

Twitter: GlennJordanPPH

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