PORTLAND — Unlike their parent club, the Portland Sea Dogs are having little trouble hitting the ball with runners in scoring position. Or in any other position.
For the third time in as many games in their season-opening home stand, the Sea Dogs registered double digits in the hit column Saturday. They also put together another big inning, a six-run sixth that rallied them from a 4-1 deficit to a 10-4 win over the New Britain Rock Cats before 4,022 at Hadlock Field.
Stefan Welch led Portland’s 14-hit attack with three hits, plus a walk, an RBI and a run scored.
Portland has knocked New Britain pitching for 35 hits and 27 runs in the first three games.
“We’re just having fun,” Welch said. “We’ve got a great team. We’ve been playing well. The guys are putting together some great at bats. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”
Mookie Betts added two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored in the leadoff spot for Portland (6-3). Carolos Rivero had two hits and drove in three runs and Shannon Wilkerson drilled a pair of doubles, drove in a run and scored once.
Sea Dogs starter Mike Augliera struggled through only one bad inning, the third, when the Rock Cats touched him for all four of their runs on five hits. He was otherwise efficient, throwing 85 pitches in seven innings, striking out three and walking one to pick up the victory, his first of the year.
“You can almost always count on him going deep into games,” said Sea Dogs manager Billy McMillon, who managed Augliera at High-A Salem last year. “It’s nothing overpowering, but he gets guys off-balance.”
Matty Ott and Michael Olmsted closed it out with one inning of scoreless relief each.
Portland got single runs in the third and fifth on RBI singles by Henry Ramos and Welch to make it 4-3.
Welch, a lanky left-handed 1B/DH from Adelaide, Australia, is 6-for-11 in the series with six RBIs.
“I would label him a professional hitter,” McMillon said. “He gives us good, competitive at bats, whether it’s a lefty or a righty (pitching). He’s swinging with a lot of confidence right now and he’s come up with some big hits for us this year.”
Portland teed off on Rock Cats reliver Adrian Salcedo for six runs in the sixth thanks to doubles by Blake Swihart, Wilkerson and Betts and two-run singles by Mike Brenly and Rivero.
Betts tacked on a run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Portland and New Britain close out their series at 1 p.m. Sunday before the Sea Dogs open a three-game series with Binghamton on Monday. Southpaw sensation Henry Owens is scheduled to start for the Sea Dogs then.
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- After stretching out a big lead off second base, Portland’s Mookie Betts safely dives back before New Britain’s Aderling Mejia can put a tag on him during Saturday afternon’s game at Hadlock Field in Portland. The Sea Dogs went on to win the game 10-4.
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- New Britain Rock Cats right fielder Mike Kvasnicka tries to make a circus catch during Saturday afternoon’s baseball game against the Portland Sea Dogs. The ball bounced off the wall high above his glove for one of the Sea Dog’s 14 hits leading to their 10-4 victory.
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- After making a nifty snag off a sharp ground ball, Portland Sea Dogs first baseman Michael Brenly flips the ball to pitcher Mike Augliera who stepped on the bag for an out during their 10-4 victory over the New Britain Rock Cats at Hadlock Field Saturday afternoon.
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