Portland, Maine - The Maine Red Snappers (5-4) (40-37) fell 10-3 on Thursday night against the Altoona Curve (4-5) (35-43), as both teams and more than 5,000 fans battled an extreme heat wave sweeping across the Northeast.
Jack Winnay and Brooks Brannon both left the yard with solo shots. For Winnay, it was his second home run as a Sea Dog, and his first over the Maine Monster in left field. Nick Sogard joined the Red Snappers for game one of a Major League Rehab Assignment. He started at second base, singled and scored. RHP Gage Ziehl had another great start, allowing just one run in five innings pitched with eight strikeouts.
Keiner Delgado led off the game with a home run to right field, the lone run Ziehl gave up all night.
The Red Snappers tied the game in the bottom half as Johanfran Garcia hit an RBI single up the middle, scoring Sogard.
Winnay’s monster shot gave the Red Snappers the lead in the bottom of the fourth, before Altoona exploded for six runs in the sixth inning.
Against LHP Dalton Rogers, Titus Dumitru led off the sixth with a solo home run. Altoona then loaded the bases on a double, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch, before Delgado walked to bring in a run. Duce Gourson followed that up with a grand slam, Altoona’s second of the series, extending their lead to 7-2.
Brooks Brannon hit a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to four.
The Curve added three more runs in the top of the ninth on two walks and a double.
RHP Josh Loeschorn (1-1, 5.10 ERA) earned the win, allowing one run on one hit and one walk in 2.2 innings pitched. LHP Dalton Rogers (0-2, 4.14 ERA) was tagged with the loss, allowing six runs on three hits, two home runs, with three walks and two strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work.
On Friday night, RHP John Holobetz (3-3, 4.67 ERA) will face RHP Matt Ager (3-1, 4.95 ERA) in game four of this week’s series between the Sea Dogs and the Curve. It’s Country Night at Delta Dental Park, featuring a pregame performance by Lexi James, and postgame fireworks presented by Delta Dental. First pitch is scheduled for 6:20 pm.