Cecchini, Dogs rise to 7-0 win

PORTLAND — Garin Cecchini is one of the fastest-rising prospects in the Boston farm system.

On Civil War Night at Hadlock Field, he showed why.

Cecchini went 3-for-4, falling a triple short of the cycle, and drove in three runs as the Portland Sea Dogs extended their winning steak to five games with a 7-0 win over New York Yankees affiliate Trenton before 4,195 fans on Wednesday night.

Cecchini, ranked the No. 8 prospect in the Red Sox organization by Baseball America, joined the Sea Dogs from High-A Salem on June 21. He’s reached base in all 11 games since then.

“It’s good to be back in the Northeast with a lot of Red Sox fans,” the 22-year-old lefthanded hitting third baseman said. “I’m just having a blast here with a great clubhouse.”

Cecchini doubled in his first at-bat, then pulled a 1-1 pitch over the fence in right for a two-run homer that increased Portland’s lead to 3-0 in the third.

“I give credit to my teammates. They got on base and got me in good hitter’s counts,” Cecchini said. “It’s just much easier to hit with runners on base.”

Portland lefty Drake Britton got the win with seven scoreless innings, but he had to earn it. He allowed seven hits, walked three and fanned four on 102 pitches.

“He was very efficient. We got some length out of him going the seven innings,” Portland manager Kevin Boles said.

Miguel Celestino tossed two innings of hitless relief to complete the shutout.

Like the rest of Maine, the Sea Dogs haven’t seen much sun lately. But it returned with a vengeance Wednesday to help them plate the game’s first run in the second.

Shannon Wilkerson (two hits) reached with a two-out single, then stole second. Trenton’s Reegie Corona fielded Kolbrin Vitek’s chopper to deep third cleanly and unleashed a perfect throw to first, but first baseman Andrew Clark appeared to lose the ball in the sun setting directly behind Corona and never reacted until it got by him. Wilkerson scored easily from second for a 1-0 Portland lead.

“(The sun) goes right through the stands and there’s a lane where that sun hits,” Boles said. “You probably can see, both clubs will limit their (pickoffs) to first base at certain times. It does play a factor.”

Trenton manager Tony Franklin was ejected in the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes. Portland gave him a going-away present with three runs in the bottom of the frame.

Travis Shaw, Vitek, Heiker Meneses, and Peter Hissey (two hits) started it off with four straight singles, with Meneses’ driving in Shaw. Vitek scored when Christian Vazquez grounded into a double play. Cecchini followed with his third hit, a single that plated Meneses for a 5-0 lead.

“He’s got a high frequency of contact,” Boles said. “He’s going to see pitches every night. And he’s handled himself against left-handed pitching also.”

Needing the triple for the cycle in his final plate appearance in the sixth, Cecchini lined out to third.

“Some of my teammates came up to me and told me, ‘Hey, you’ve got to hit a triple,'” he said. “It’s in the back of your mind but you just try not to worry about it, try to stay with your same approach. It was a good day overall.”

Britton had just one clean inning, the third. But he picked off a runner in the first and the Sea Dogs turned double plays behind him in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth. He allowed just two fly ball outs. Corona, Slade Heathcott and Tyler Austin each touched him for two hits.

“Seven scoreless, that’s beautiful to me,” Boles said. “He’s a guy who, early in the year, there was a bump in the road with his innings. He’d lose command of the zone. But what we’re seeing now is a calm presence. It’s a more focused approach, and the stuff plays in the zone.”

: Portland second baseman Tony Thomas decides to hang onto the ball with a force out of Trenton’s Reegie Corona for out number two and not try to turn a tripple play during Wednesdays baseball game between the Portland Sea Dogs and the Trenton Thunder at Hadlock Field in Portland.

: Portland’s Heiker Meneses dives back to first base safely during a pickoff attempt during Wednesdays baseball game between the Portland Sea Dogs and the Trenton Thunder at Hadlock Field in Portland.

: Portland catcher Christian Vazquez tosses a ball to the dugout between innings during Wednesdays baseball game between the Portland Sea Dogs and the Trenton Thunder at Hadlock Field in Portland.

: Portland pitcher Drake Britton delivers a pitch during Wednesdays baseball game between the Portland Sea Dogs and the Trenton Thunder at Hadlock Field in Portland.

: Portland pitcher Drake Britton delivers a pitch during Wednesdays baseball game between the Portland Sea Dogs and the Trenton Thunder at Hadlock Field in Portland.

: After making a diving stop of a line drive grounder, Portland third baseman Garin Cecchini throws to first base to try to get the batter out during Wednesdays baseball game between the Portland Sea Dogs and the Trenton Thunder at Hadlock Field in Portland. Although the play was spetactular, the batter was safe.

: Portland second baseman Tony Thomas fields a grounder before throwing out the batter during Wednesdays baseball game between the Portland Sea Dogs and the Trenton Thunder at Hadlock Field in Portland.

: Garin Cecchini watches his 2 run home run ball sail over the wall in the third inning during Wednesdays baseball game between the Portland Sea Dogs and the Trenton Thunder at Hadlock Field in Portland.