CTSY-Portland Sea Dogs
Portland, Maine – Alex Binelas’ RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning led the Portland Sea Dogs (50-53, 20-14) to a walk-off win, 5-4, over the Richmond Flying Squirrels (51-51, 11-22) on Tuesday at Hadlock Field.
Major League rehabber Michael Wacha started for the Sea Dogs, working through 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking two, and five strikeouts on 79 pitches with 51 for strikes.
The Sea Dogs drove in the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning against Flying Squirrels starter Wil Jensen. David Hamilton led off with a single to center and stole his 51st bag of the season. Wilyer Abreu advanced him to third on a fly out to center and Christian Koss beat out an infield single, scoring Hamilton, and giving the Sea Dogs a 1-0 lead.
Richmond responded in the top of the second against Wacha. Brett Auerbach singled to center and stole second base. Diego Rincones singled to left, moving Auerbach to third. Sean Roby grounded out to third base, plating Auerbach, tying the game 1-1.
Portland returned to their scoring ways in the bottom of the third with Jensen still on the mound. Hamilton led off again, this time with a triple down the right field line. Abreu knocked him in with a groundout to first base, giving the Sea Dogs the lead back, 2-1.
Both teams brought in a run in the fourth. With two outs in the top of the fourth, Rincones doubled to right. Roby took a base hit into center, driving in Rincones to tie the game 2-2. In the bottom half, Alex Binelas led off with a walk and moved to second on a base hit by Nick Northcut. Izzy Wilson grounded into a double play, advancing Binelas to third. Elih Marrero singled to center to score Binelas, giving the Sea Dogs the lead once again, 3-2.
Richmond tied the game in the top of the seventh inning with Portland reliever Kyle Hart on the mound. With one out, Armani Smith homered to right. It was his second home run of the season and evened up the score at 3-3.
No runs came in to score in the eighth or ninth, forcing the game into extra innings. Richmond brought in a run in the top of the 10th. Carter Aldrete started the inning as the extra-innings runner at second. Michael Gigliotti advanced Aldrete to third on a sacrifice bunt, and Tyler Fitzgerald brought him home on a sacrifice fly to right, giving the Flying Squirrels a 4-3 lead.
The Sea Dogs came up to the plate in the bottom of the 10th with Wilyer Abreu as the extra-innings runner at second. Ceddanne Rafaela reached on a bunt single, putting runners at second and third. Koss brought in Abreu with a sacrifice fly to right, tying the game 4-4. Stephen Scott was intentionally walked, once again putting runners on the corners. Alex Binelas stepped into the batter’s box and roped a single down the right field line, bringing in Rafaela, and walking off the Flying Squirrels 5-4.
Michael Gettys (2-0, 0.00 ERA) picked up the win, allowing one unearned run over 1.1 innings in relief. Taylor Rashi (1-3, 2.83 ERA) was given the loss, pitching 1.0 inning and surrendering two runs (one earned) on one hit whiles striking out one.
The Sea Dogs and Flying Squirrels play the second game of a six-game series on Wednesday with a 6:00 PM first pitch. Portland sends RHP Thaddeus Ward (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound against Richmond RHP Matt Frisbee (5-7, 5.25 ERA).