Devlin Granberg had a game winning two-run double in the third inning, and Brandon Walter combined with two other pitchers for a one-hitter on Thursday night as the Portland Sea Dogs defeated the Somerset Patriots (NY Yankees) 3-1 in Eastern League Double A Baseball action at Hadlock Field in Portland.
Somerset (26-15) took the lead 1-0 in the top of the second inning with their only hit of the game when Elijah Dunham cranked a solo homerun to right field off Walter. And that was the end of the offense for the Patriots. Elih Marrero led off the third for Portland and laid down a perfect bunt that went for an infield single. David Hamilton followed with a single to left, and with one out Granberg doubled off the bottom of the Maine Monster in left center to score Marrero and Hamilton. With two outs in the sixth, the Sea Dogs got an insurance run when Wil Dalton doubled and Tyreque Reed did the same to score Dalton to end the scoring.
Walter (2-2) allowed just the one hit and one run with no walks and eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Joan Martinez pitched the eighth inning, and Chase Shugart picked up his fourth save by striking out the side in the ninth. Dalton had three hits, while Marrero, Hamilton, and Nick Sogard had two each. Randy Vasquez (0-1) took the loss on the hill for Somerset allowing two runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings. Portland (22-20) after a slow start to the season has now won five games in a row and seven of their last nine to climb back into the Northeast Division race. The Sea Dogs face the Patriots three more times in this series with game four slated for Friday night at 6 p.m.
