Portland Sea Dogs pitchers allowed 13 hits and nine walks.

So how did this game go to extra innings?

“We did a good job of escaping,” Manager Darren Fenster said. “A credit to our pitching and our defense.”

But while the pitchers stranded Binghamton runners with regularity, Portland never could take the lead and lost 4-3 to the Rumble Ponies in 11 innings on a steamy Sunday at Hadlock Field.

Josh Allen doubled in the winning run.

The new minor league rule this season automatically puts a runner on second base to start extra innings. Levi Michael began the 11th on second, reached third on a deep flyout, then scored on Allen’s gap shot to left center against reliever Jordan Weems (1-2), who was working his third inning – his longest Double-A appearance.

This was a game of wasted chances. The Rumble Ponies left 17 men on base, the Sea Dogs 11

The Sea Dogs got solo home runs from Jantzen Witte and Austin Rei.

Portland starter Kyle Hart wasn’t at his sharpest but did improve after his previous two starts (101/3 innings, 13 earned runs). Hart gave up two runs on eight hits and a rare four walks over 52/3 innings.

“He’s been one of our most consistent pitchers for the entire season,” Fenster said. “If you look back at those starts, he had a couple of bad innings. That’s it. He bounced back well today, really competed and kept us in the game.”

Binghamton scored in the first inning on a bloop single, walk and Joey Terdoslavich’s grounder to left for an RBI single.

Portland answered in the inning with Witte’s seventh home run of the year. He swatted a Marcos Molina fastball off the message board in left-center.

Hart, recently named to the Eastern League All-Star Game, settled down and threw three shutout innings.

In the fifth, Binghamton loaded the bases with one out on two singles and a walk. Hart induced a shallow fly out to right but then walked in a run. The Rumble Ponies led 2-1.

“I thought I did some things right and did some things wrong,” Hart said. “They sprayed the ball around the park a little bit. I felt like I managed the runners better than I have been. They didn’t put up four or five. We held them to two.”

Ryder Ryan relieved for Binghamton in the sixth, and Portland loaded the bases with no outs – singles by Luke Tendler and Jordan Betts sandwiched around a walk to Johnny Bladel.

Rei hit a grounder to Michael at third base. He touched third and tried to throw home for the double play. But the ball hit Tendler and he scored, making it 2-2.

Sea Dogs reliever Adam Lau pitched out of jams in the sixth and seventh, but Binghamton took the lead in the eighth on Allen’s sacrifice fly to left.

Portland tied it again on Rei’s fifth blast of the season, launching a Daniel Zamora fastball over the left-field wall. But that was all for Portland.

“We just didn’t take advantage enough of the opportunities we had offensively,” said Fenster, whose team dropped to 30-50. Binghamton is 39-41.

Joshua Torres (7-0) of Binghamton threw three hitless innings for the win.

NOTES: The announced paid attendance was 5,654. … Left fielder Tim Tebow didn’t start the game for Binghamton but entered in the 10th inning to replace a player who was pinch-hit for. Tebow didn’t bat. … Sea Dogs reliever Trevor Kelley was summoned to Triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday to help the pitching-thin PawSox. He threw two perfect innings with two strikeouts. … Former Sea Dogs pitcher Aaron Wilkerson made his first major league appearance of the season, relieving for the Milwaukee Brewers, allowing five runs over three innings. … The first 1,000 fans Monday at Hadlock Field will receive a Kevin Millar bobblehead doll.

Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-7411 or:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: @ClearTheBases

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