Ninth-inning collapse sinks Sea Dogs
PORTLAND, Maine — The Portland Sea Dogs squandered a commanding late-inning lead on Tuesday night, watching the Hartford Yard Goats score six runs in the top of the ninth to rally past them 8-7 at Hadlock Field.
Trailing 7-2 heading into the final frame, the Yard Goats erupted for the decisive burst against Sea Dogs reliever Brett Devons, who was charged with the loss. Cleanup batter Juan Burcá hit a two-run double to ignite the rally, followed by RBI singles from Luis Torrens and a game-tying two-run homer from Jose Siri that sent the packed downtown crowd into a stunned silence.
The Sea Dogs had built their lead through patient hitting and solid starting pitching from opener Connor Phillips, who worked four innings allowing just one earned run. Portland right-hander Matt Scheffing picked up his second win of the season after steady middle relief duty, while closer Cesar Valdez notched his fifth save in as many opportunities despite giving up the tying runs in the ninth.
"Credit to Hartford – they never stopped believing," said Sea Dogs manager Billy Scheidt. "That's baseball. You can have everything going your way and one bad inning can change it all. We've got to protect those leads better."
The loss snapped the Sea Dogs' three-game winning streak, dropping them to 12-18 at home this season. Hartford climbed to .500 on the year with their third consecutive comeback victory over Portland.
Key moments came early for both clubs. Portland struck first in the third inning when center fielder Triston Casas launched a two-run homer into the right field seats. Hartford answered with solo runs in the fifth and sixth before falling behind 7-2 after six innings.
The Yard Goats' dramatic finish marked their largest comeback of the season, with manager Bobby Meacham praising his team's resilience from the visitor's dugout.
"Our guys showed tremendous character tonight," Meacham said. "We knew we were down by five and still felt confident. The ball was jumping well off our bats, and we executed when it mattered."
Sunday's series finale is scheduled for 6:05 p.m., with right-hander Kyle Tyler (3-2, 3.98 ERA) toeing the rubber for Portland against lefty Thomas Hatch (2-4, 5.14 ERA).
