The Portland Sea Dogs played as the Maine Whoopie Pies in Friday night. If you’re a fan of offense, the game was as sweet as the state’s signature dessert.

The Hartford Yard Goats and Sea Dogs combined for 29 hits, including nine home runs, in Hartford’s 14-12 win in front of 5,196 fans. Portland’s Tyreque Reed hit two home runs, his first two of the season. Ceddanne Rafaela, who was called up to Portland from Single-A Greenville earlier this week, hit his first home run as a Sea Dog, finished a triple short of the cycle, had four hits and scored three runs.

For Hartford, Daniel Montano and Willie MacIver also finished a triple short of the cycle. Montano’s double in the second inning came on a hard bunt that squirted through the infield.

Neither starting pitcher made it out of the second inning. Hartford’s Karl Kaufmann recorded just two outs, while Portland’s Kyle Hart was pulled after 1 2/3 innings. The Yard Goats used six pitchers, with reliever Fineas Del Bonta-Smith getting the win. Dylan Spacke, Portland’s second of five pitchers, took the loss.

Hartford took control of the game with seven runs in the top of the fourth inning. After Ezequiel Tovar’s sacrifice fly to center field gave the Yard Goats a 7-6 lead, Aaron Schunk’s three-run home run made it 10-6. Michael Toglia made it back-to-back home runs for an 11-6 Hartford lead. MacIver added an RBI single, and Brenton Doyle scored on a wild pitch.

Portland staked itself to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, on an three-run home run by Reed and an RBI single by Tyler Dearden. Hartford answered with five runs in the second. Isaac Collins tied it at 4-4 with a two-run double, and Tovar’s RBI single gave the Yard Goats the lead.

Rafaela’s home run to lead off the bottom of the second tied the game, and two batters later, Reed hit his second homer to give Portland a 6-5 lead. Elih Marrero’s ninth inning home run cut Hartford’s lead to 14-12.

Comments are no longer available on this story