Weitten by Brett Kori
PORTLAND, MAINE- After trailing for 8 and half innings the Portland Sea Dogs rallied for a 6-5 victory over the New York Yankees Double-A affiliate Trenton Thunder in the third game of a four-game series.
First baseman Mike Olt was the hero for Portland (9-5) driving in the winning runs on a deep base hit to right center field.
Shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin, who had a big day going 3-for-4 with a home run and triple, leadoff the decisive ninth inning with the Sea Dogs trailing 5-2. Lin would get on base with an infield hit. Right fielder Joseph Monge would follow that up with a two-runhome run that hit the foul pole on top of the Maine Monster in left field, which made the score 5-4.
Sea Dogs leadoff hitter Aneury Tavarez, who went 2-for-3 and upped his season average to .400, would keep the momentum going for Portland with a double to center field. The double would chase Thunder pitcher Travis Hissong from the game. Trenton (9-7) brought in hard throwing right hander CaleCoshow to close out the game.
Sea Dogs second baseman Heiker Meneses would single to left moving Tavarez to third. Coshow would strike out center fielder Cole Sturgeon on a 98 MPH fastball. Meneses was running on the pitch and stole second to put the game winning run in scoring position setting up Olt’s heroics.
When Olt stepped to the plate, the veteran power hitter knew what he was going to see from the 6’5’ 270lb Coshow. He saw a 99 MPH fast ball down the heart of the plate which Olt drove to deep right center.
“I know that he throws really hard and I was just trying to be aggressive and get a fast ball I could handle.” Olt said after the game.
The Sea Dogs needed the big ninth inning due to the up and down effort from starting pitcher Trey Ball and their in ability to string hits together against his counterpart Trenton’s Justus Sheffield.
Ball (0-1, 5.74 ERA) went just 4.1 innings allowing five runs on five hits and four walks, while striking out three. Ball showed promise in the first and third innings sitting down the Thunder in order. But, struggled with his command at times. Allowing two run innings in the second and fourth.
After the game, Portland manager Carlos Feebles talked about Ball’s effort. “I thought he had some good stuff but he just couldn’t execute.” Feebles would add “You got to be able to reach and concentrate on the next pitch, I don’t think he did that today.”
The offense was just as inconsistent for the Sea Dogs, not being able to string hits together against Trenton starter Justus Sheffield.
Tavarez and Lin were able to get to Sheffield in the first and second respectively but the Sea Dogs were unable to get both across stranding them each on third base.
In the sixth inning Portland was finally able get on the score board with home runs by both Olt and Lin.
Sheffield (1-0, 1.56 ERA), The Yankees sixth ranked prospect, was pulled after Lin’s home run having thrown 5.2 innings allowing two runs, on six hits.
After the game Feebles discussed what he saw from the left hander Sheffield. “He’s the type of guy who has good stuff, but at the same time I think we could of made him bring the ball up in the zone better.”
Tavarez, was one of the few who was able to solve Sheffield. And, his hot start to the season has provided an energy to the lineup that has not gone unnoticed by Feebles.
“He (Tavarez) is a threat, he forces defenses to make plays. It is important to have a guy at the top of the line up like that.”
Tavarez and the Sea Dogs will look to keep the momentum going in the final game of their four-game series against Trenton, Monday at 6:00 p.m. at Hadlock Field.
First baseman Mike Olt was the hero for Portland (9-5) driving in the winning runs on a deep base hit to right center field.
Shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin, who had a big day going 3-for-4 with a home run and triple, leadoff the decisive ninth inning with the Sea Dogs trailing 5-2. Lin would get on base with an infield hit. Right fielder Joseph Monge would follow that up with a two-runhome run that hit the foul pole on top of the Maine Monster in left field, which made the score 5-4.
Sea Dogs leadoff hitter Aneury Tavarez, who went 2-for-3 and upped his season average to .400, would keep the momentum going for Portland with a double to center field. The double would chase Thunder pitcher Travis Hissong from the game. Trenton (9-7) brought in hard throwing right hander CaleCoshow to close out the game.
Sea Dogs second baseman Heiker Meneses would single to left moving Tavarez to third. Coshow would strike out center fielder Cole Sturgeon on a 98 MPH fastball. Meneses was running on the pitch and stole second to put the game winning run in scoring position setting up Olt’s heroics.
When Olt stepped to the plate, the veteran power hitter knew what he was going to see from the 6’5’ 270lb Coshow. He saw a 99 MPH fast ball down the heart of the plate which Olt drove to deep right center.
“I know that he throws really hard and I was just trying to be aggressive and get a fast ball I could handle.” Olt said after the game.
The Sea Dogs needed the big ninth inning due to the up and down effort from starting pitcher Trey Ball and their in ability to string hits together against his counterpart Trenton’s Justus Sheffield.
Ball (0-1, 5.74 ERA) went just 4.1 innings allowing five runs on five hits and four walks, while striking out three. Ball showed promise in the first and third innings sitting down the Thunder in order. But, struggled with his command at times. Allowing two run innings in the second and fourth.
After the game, Portland manager Carlos Feebles talked about Ball’s effort. “I thought he had some good stuff but he just couldn’t execute.” Feebles would add “You got to be able to reach and concentrate on the next pitch, I don’t think he did that today.”
The offense was just as inconsistent for the Sea Dogs, not being able to string hits together against Trenton starter Justus Sheffield.
Tavarez and Lin were able to get to Sheffield in the first and second respectively but the Sea Dogs were unable to get both across stranding them each on third base.
In the sixth inning Portland was finally able get on the score board with home runs by both Olt and Lin.
Sheffield (1-0, 1.56 ERA), The Yankees sixth ranked prospect, was pulled after Lin’s home run having thrown 5.2 innings allowing two runs, on six hits.
After the game Feebles discussed what he saw from the left hander Sheffield. “He’s the type of guy who has good stuff, but at the same time I think we could of made him bring the ball up in the zone better.”
Tavarez, was one of the few who was able to solve Sheffield. And, his hot start to the season has provided an energy to the lineup that has not gone unnoticed by Feebles.
“He (Tavarez) is a threat, he forces defenses to make plays. It is important to have a guy at the top of the line up like that.”
Tavarez and the Sea Dogs will look to keep the momentum going in the final game of their four-game series against Trenton, Monday at 6:00 p.m. at Hadlock Field.