Sea Dogs can’t escape rain

Whether they’re in Maine or Connecticut, the Portland Sea Dogs can’t escape rain.

When the Connecticut Defenders played the Sea Dogs on July 23 at Hadlock Field, Portland led 2-1 in the fourth inning only to have the game suspended due to rain - and rescheduled for Thursday night at soggy Dodd Stadium.

After a rain delay of 1 hour and 25 minutes, Connecticut erupted for four runs in the seventh and backed it with solid relief pitching by Paul Oseguera and Jason Waddell for a 7-2 victory.

Then, in the regularly-scheduled game, the teams were locked in a scoreless tie when a deluge hit the stadium and forced a halt with one out in the bottom of the fourth.

The game was suspended after a 35-minute delay.

It will resume from the point of suspension at 5:05 p.m. Friday  and be followed by a seven-inning game.

Portland lefty Kris Johnson had blanked Connecticut on three hits.

After fanning Adam Witter for his fifth strikeout in the fourth, and with a 2-1 count on Carlos Sosa, the umpires halted play.

Connecticut’s Joey Martinez had shut out Portland on three hits through four innings.

Oseguera (2-2) allowed only a sixth-inning single by Jorge Jimenez while tossing 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Waddell earned his first save by pitching two perfect innings replete with four strikeouts.
Daniel Haigwood (2-3), who replaced starter Dustin Richardson, breezed through the fifth, fanning three Defenders on 12 pitches.
Haigwood also wiggled out of a two-on, two-out jam in the sixth. But there was no escaping the seventh during which Connecticut scored four runs on four hits and a walk.
Ryan Rohlinger led with a double high off the center field fence and scored the tying run on Dave Maroul’s single.

Maroul advanced to second on Haigwood’s errant pickoff throw and reached third on Antoan Richardson’s single.

Kyle Haines plated Maroul with the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to right field.

Olmo Rosario followed with a hit-and-run triple to right-center that gave Connecticut a 4-2 lead and scored on Sosa’s sacrifice fly to center. Josh Reddick’s throw reached John Otness well ahead of Rosario. But Otness was unable to hold onto the ball.

Connecticut tacked on two runs in the ninth against Miguel Asencio, after loading the bases on consecutive singles by Haines, Rosario and Sosa.
Haines scored on a bad-hop single off the glove of first baseman Aaron Bates and Rosario eventually came home on a wild pitch.