PORTLAND – Portland Sea Dogs manager Ron Johnson liked the look he saw in Justin Sherrod’s eyes.

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 10th inning, the New Britain Rock Cats lined up five infielders and two outfielders in an attempt to cut down the winning run at home plate.

Sherrod was unfazed, as Johnson found out when he approached from the third base coaches’ box.

“He was really calm and relaxed,” said Johnson. “He said, ‘I’m all over this.’ He had a real confident look.”

Sherrod promptly drove a ball off the wall in right field to give the Sea Dogs a 3-2 win over the Rock Cats at Hadlock Field Monday night.

“I was just looking for a ball to lift,” said Sherrod. “(Reliver Kevin Hodge) threw me first-pitch off speed, something I could get under a little bit. Luckily, I got enough bat on it.”

Tony Schrager led off the inning with a hustle double to right-center field.

“I thought they might cut it off,” said Schrager, “but (first base coach Mark Budaska) was waving me the whole way. I thought it was worth the risk.”

After a sacrifice bunt moved Schrager to third, Kevin Youkilis and Kelly Shoppach were walked to load the bases.

Sherrod, who was hitless in four previous at-bats, then gave the Sea Dogs their 13th last at-bat victory of the season.

Sherrod said he had seen the five-infielder set-up used only once before, earlier in the season when Binghamton’s Mark Cox walked Dustin Brisson on four pitches to force in the winning run.

“It makes a lot of sense,” Sherrod said of the shift. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It a matter of where you hit the ball I guess.”

Anastacio Martinez (3-1) retired the side in order in the top of the 10th to pick up the win.

The Sea Dogs jumped on top early against New Britain’s Henry Bonilla.

After fouling a ball off of his shin, Schrager took some time to recover before singling to lead off the bottom of the first.

Schrager moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Youkilis’ double.

In the fourth, Sean McGowan doubled and came across on Schrager’s two-out single.

“Schrager was huge tonight,” said Johnson. “A big two-out RBI, that’s the second day in a row. And the guy’s not 100 percent.”

Junior Herndon tossed four shutout innings in his first outing since going on the disabled list with a pulled groin muscle on June 16.

Herndon gave up five hits while walking one and striking out two. Both of the strikeouts came with runners on first and second in the top of the fourth.

“My arm felt good,” said Herndon. “Every pitch was pain-free.”

New Britain tied it with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings against David Pahucki.

B.J. Garbe doubled with one out in the fifth and scored on Schrager’s error on a bouncer to shortstop.

An inning later, Jeff Deardoff also doubled and crossed on Tim Tiffee’s triple into the right field corner.

Pahucki retired the last six batters he faced before giving way to Martinez.

He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out three.

With New Haven’s 6-5 loss at Trenton, the Sea Dogs hold a two-game lead over the Ravens in the Eastern League’s Northern Division.

Sea Dogs notes: Backup catcher John Nathans, on the disabled list with a slightly separated shoulder, warmed up Pahucki prior to the top of the eighth inning. Unable to throw the ball back to Pahucki, Nathans enlisted the help of home plate umpire Andy Vincent, who stood off on the side and relayed the ball back to the pitcher. … Garbe made a nice catch in center field after falling down on a ball hit by Carlos Leon in the bottom of the third inning. It was Garbe’s first game back with the Rock Cats’ since he broke his arm diving for a ball in Trenton on April 16.

bfoley@sunjournal.com

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