When Trevor Story hits a home run with the Red Sox, he gets a dugout ride in a laundry cart.

On Thursday night, Story experienced the Double-A version of Boston’s celebration.

The rehabbing Red Sox second baseman belted the third of three Sea Dogs home runs in a 9-0 Eastern League baseball victory over Hartford before a crowd of 5,499 at Hadlock Field.

The Sea Dogs moved into first in the Northeast Division by a 1/2-game over Somerset, which lost at home to New Hampshire, 4-3 in 10 innings.

His reward was to don an old football helmet originally worn by Doug Clark, the Portland hitting coach and erstwhile wide receiver at the University of Massachusetts.

“It was cool,” Story said with a laugh. “I haven’t put a football helmet on in a long time. It’s a fun thing.”

(The last time Story donned a football helmet, he was a sophomore quarterback in for the Irving High Tigers in Texas and suffered a broken collarbone on a QB draw.)

The Sea Dogs round-trip celebration tradition started on Opening Day when David Hamilton went deep twice. Later in the spring, the football helmet went on hiatus for a spell, replaced by a yellow construction helmet festooned with a Red Sox logo, but Clark’s helmet re-emerged this summer.

On Thursday night, the helmet also fit nicely on Izzy Wilson, who cleared the roof of the Sea Dogs’ bullpen in right-center with a two-run blast that traveled an estimated 420 feet to cap a five-run uprising in the third. It was Wilson’s ninth homer of the season.

Nick Northcut also spent some time between the earholes of Clark’s old helmet. He cleared the Citgo sign atop the Maine Monster with a 421-foot moonshot in the fourth for his third home run since his promotion to Portland in late July.

That brought up Story, on his second day of a rehabilitation assignment to the Sea Dogs. After going hitless Wednesday night, Story drilled an opposite-field single that scored a run in the first inning Thursday and added a double to left-center in the third.

After falling behind no balls and two strikes, Story drove a fastball into the net in left-center to put the Sea Dogs ahead 9-0 and end the night’s scoring. The home run left his bat at 104 mph and traveled an estimated 421 feet.

Bidding for the cycle in the seventh, he struck out to finish the game 3 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBI.

Story said he felt strong at the plate and in the field, where he helped turn two double plays, chased down a fly in shallow right-center and racked up five assists.

The most memorable play involved a dive to his right to corral a grounder, followed by a throw from his knees to nab Hartford’s leadoff batter in the seventh, Grant Lavigne.

“Landing on it and pushing up was a good hurdle to pass,” said Story, who is recovering from a hairline fracture near his right wrist, from being hit by a pitch on July 12. “Diving and having to brace on the ground and push up, that was something I wanted to get out of the way before I go back (to Boston).”

As for a timetable on his return to the Red Sox, Story said he plans to be with the Sea Dogs again Friday night before re-evaluating the situation: “All signs are pointing towards really soon.”

Veteran right-hander Sterling Sharp, signed earlier this month after being released from Washington’s Triple-A affiliate, tossed six shutout innings. He struck out five, walked one and scattered five hits.

Sea Dogs center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela made the defensive play of the night, robbing Hartford’s Hunter Stovall with layout dive in front of the scoreboard in left center on a screaming line drive.

“That kid’s impressive,” said Story, who lifted his arms in reaction to the catch. “He’s a playmaker.”

Moments later, Rafaela left the game after being hit on the left wrist by a pitch. Portland relievers Brendan Nail and Rio Gomez completed the shutout, the second straight over Hartford.

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