Altoona, PA - The Portland Sea Dogs (5-4) opened their road series against the Altoona Curve (0-10) with a 4-2 win, highlighted by a strong overall performance from the bullpen who allowed just one combined run.
With an RBI single in the seventh inning, Ahbram Liendo extended his hit streak to six games and his RBI streak to four games, both career highs at the Double-A level. The Portland pitching staff struck out 13 Curve batters, their sixth game with more than ten strikeouts this season.
Both sides went scoreless through the first two innings before Portland stormed into the lead off the back of a Franklin Arias two-run home run to the right center gap, his first of the season.
Altoona’s Jesus Castillo led off the bottom half of the third inning with a solo home run, answering Arias right away. With Altoona threatening off consecutive hit-by-pitches dealt by Portland starter Isaac Coffey,, the Sea Dogs made a pitching change, bringing in Cooper Adams. Mitch Jebb shot a grounder down the first base line fielded by Adams. He assisted Drew Ehrhard on the force play at first, who then threw a laser home to catch Duce Gourson in a double play. A strikeout looking ended the inning as Adams escaped the jam, leaving the Sea Dogs in the lead, 2-1.
Nate Baez led off the top of the fourth inning with a line drive double to center field. He advanced to third on a Nelly Taylor grounder, before he was brought home by a Ronald Rosario RBI single. Rosario continued his hot streak after recording his first three hits of the season and an RBI last Sunday in the Sea Dogs’ homestand finale against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
Cooper Adams pitched his way out of another jam in the fifth inning, stranding runners on second and third, holding the Sea Dogs’ lead at 3-1. Cade Feeney followed Adams’ lead in the sixth inning, stranding a runner at second.
Tyler McDonough reached base in the top of the seventh off an infield single and stole second shortly after. He was brought home by the Liendo RBI single, tacking on an insurance run for Portland, who led 4-1.
Things got dicey in the top of the eighth inning for the Sea Dogs as Patrick Halligan loaded the bases after striking out the first batter he saw. Halligan stayed cool under pressure and struck out the next two batters, bringing the Altoona left-on-base total to nine runners.
The Curve led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run that brought the score to 4-2, but that was all they could muster in their comeback attempt, as Halligan ended the night with a couple of groundouts and a strikeout, recording his second save of the season.
RHP Cooper Adams (2-0, 6.43 ERA) recorded his second win of the season, allowing no runs through 3.0 innings of work. Altoona’s starter, RHP Khristian Curtis (0-2, 5.93 ERA) took the loss, his second of the season.
RHP Gage Ziehl (0-1, 19.29 ERA) will make his second start for the Sea Dogs tomorrow, facing off against LHP Connor Wietgrefe (0-0, 2.53 ERA) for the Curve, with the game starting at 6:00 pm ET at Peoples Natural Gas Field.