The Result
Sea Dogs - 12 to 6

Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
11 wins - 15 losses

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing rightfield
Batting #3

At the end of the Game
3 hits from 4 at-bats - 2 x singles, home run, 3 x RBI's, 2 x runs scored, 1 x sacrifice fly

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - two down
Ball - outside
Swing&miss - change-up
Fly ball into leftfield - "hit pretty well but the fielder is drifting back to make the catch"
Out F7
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - none down
Called strike - curve ball
"...and that's hit very well into rightfield"
HOME RUN
......and 2 x RBI's!!! (click here for all the home run details)
And here is what the game commentator said!!!
(1) "that ball is over the rightfield fence and over the six rows of bleachers and it landed on the roof of the 'speed pitch tent' out behind rightfield"
(2) "clears the bleachers and then some"
(3) "a powered home run from Brett"
(4) "that is an absolute no-doubter"
(5) "I have been commentating here for a number of years and that is the longest home run I have seen at this ballpark"
(6) "the Sea Dogs have hit three home runs tonight - Roneberg's was by far the biggest - it was a bomb"
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runners at first and third base - one down
"Brett jumped on the first pitch and drove it very well into deep leftfield"
Sacrifice fly
......and 1 x RBI
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - none down
Called strike
Foul ball - through the third-base coach's box
Ball - "missed just outside"
Ball - high and away - the runner was out at second base via an attempted steal - bases now empty
Ball - curve ball - "inside and nearly hit Roneberg who skipped back"
Foul ball - straight back
Line drive straight back up the middle
Single
Went to second base on a walk to the next Sea Dogs batter
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Fifth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - one down
Ball - down and in
Called strike - on the outside corner
Ball - high
Ball - high and away
Foul ball - back
Hit-and-Run-Play - and "Roneberg lined that pitch into rightfield for a base hit and the runner went to third base"
Single
Went to second base on a hit
Scored on another hit

Heard during the game
(1) As Brett was having his fourth at-bat, the commentator mentioned "that with his home run and three 'runs-driven-in' during today's game, Brett now moves into the "Eastern League Top 10" in each of those categories"

(2) After his second hit, the commentator said that "Roneberg picks up another hit and his 'hot-bat' continues on this road trip. He now has 6 hits from 16 at-bats"

Email from Brett
N/A

Game Reports
Hattig, Roneberg power Sea Dogs' win

John Hattig and Brett Roneberg both had three hits, including a home run each, leading the Portland Sea Dogs' 12-to-6 win over the Akron Aeros in an Eastern League game in Ohio.

The first of Hattig's two doubles last night started a four-run rally in the second inning that included Sheldon Fulse's three-run homer.

Roneberg went deep in the third and Hattig's homer came in the fifth.

Franklin Gutierrez's three-run homer for Akron in the seventh inning cut Portland's lead to 8-6, but the Sea Dogs added four in the eighth.

Portland's Jerome Gamble got the victory, while Jeremy Guthrie took the loss.

PORTLAND POUNDS AKRON, 12-6
Hattig Ties Record with 3 Extra Base Hits

John Hattig went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run, two walks, two RBI, and three runs scored to pace a 12-hit Sea Dog attack in Portland's 12-6 win over Akron Thursday night.

The Sea Dogs have now won seven on their last 10 games.

Hattig tied a franchise record with three extra base hits in the game.

Brett Roneberg and Sheldon Fulse also homered and drove in three runs in the win.

Jerome Gamble (1-1) earned the win with five innings of two-hit ball, allowing three runs and three walks.

Every Sea Dog in the lineup either scored or drove in a run and eight of the nine Sea Dogs reached base twice.

Portland and Akron continue a four-game series Friday night at Canal Park.
Charlie Zink (0-3) starts against Oscar Alvarez (2-0).

Eastern League Game Summary - Portland at Akron

Brett Roneberg, John Hattig, and Sheldon Fulse all went deep as the Portland Sea Dogs doubled up the Akron Aeros 12-6 Thursday night.

Roneberg and Fulse each knocked in three runs, while Hattig and Mike O'Keefe drove in a pair each.
Hattig also had two doubles and three runs scored.

Jerome Gamble improved to 1-1 and earned the win in five innings.
He allowed three runs on two hits, walked three and struck out five.

Jeremy Guthrie absorbed the loss and fell to 1-1.
Guthrie allowed eight runs, seven earned, on seven hits in 4 2/3rd innings.

Franklin Gutierrez hit his second home run of the year and knocked in three, and Jason Cooper tripled and knocked in a pair for the Aeros.

Portland improved to 11-15 while Akron dropped to 13-13.

Gamble gets a needed victory as the Sea Dogs handle Akron, 12-6

Jerome Gamble, the starting pitcher for the Portland Sea Dogs, needed a strong outing.
Thursday night he got it as the Sea Dogs rolled to a 12-6 victory against the Akron Aeros before 8,690 fans at Canal Park.

Gamble (1-1), who is listed in Baseball America as the 16th-best prospect in the Boston Red Sox's organization, struck out the side in the first inning - the first time that's been done by a Portland pitcher this season.
He ended up going five innings and collected the victory.

"(Gamble) needed an outing like this, something positive to build off," Portland pitching coach Bob Kipper said.
"He had been a little passive, so it was good to see him be aggressive and work through a rough inning."

Gamble allowed two hits but was hurt by three walks.
He struck out five.

It wasn't the same kind of night for the other starting pitcher, Jeremy Guthrie of Akron.
Guthrie, who was the Cleveland Indians' top pick in the 2002 draft - and 22nd overall - recently was returned to Akron by the Indians to work on command of his fastball.
He ended up struggling through 4-2/3 innings.

His undoing began with two outs in the second when a line drive by Edgar Martinez of the Sea Dogs banged off Guthrie's right leg.
Although Aeros trainer Todd Tomczyk came out to check on Guthrie, he insisted he was fine and stayed in.
Turned out that was much to the Sea Dogs' delight.

From that point on, Guthrie struggled with his command, hitting three batters and allowing three home runs.
Guthrie gave up a three-run homer to Sheldon Fulse as the Sea Dogs scored four runs in the second.

The next inning, he dished up a two-run homer to Brett Roneberg to spot Portland a 6-0 lead.

Akron rallied with three runs in the third, taking advantage of a pair of Gamble walks and a two-run triple by Jason Cooper.

But Roneberg then extended the Sea Dogs' lead with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

John Hattig then led off the fifth with a homer for Portland.

"(Guthrie) was throwing too many curveballs because he couldn't establish his fastball," Aeros Manager Brad Komminsk said.
"He just couldn't locate it all night."

Guthrie was removed after allowing seven hits and eight runs, seven earned.

With Portland reliever Juan Perez on in the seventh, Franklin Gutierrez hit a three-run homer that pulled the Aeros within two runs.

The Sea Dogs then put the game away with a four-run eighth on four hits and Akron couldn't come back despite loading the bases in the ninth.

Sea Dogs get life over Aeros
Sea Dogs 12, Aeros 6

John Hattig and Brett Roneberg each had three hits, including a homer, leading Portland's road win over Akron.

Portland's Jerome Gamble (1-1) worked five innings and gave up three runs.

Jeremy Guthrie (1-1), the Indians' top draft pick out of Stanford in 2002, continued to have trouble with his command.
He gave up seven hits and eight runs in 4+ innings.
He walked three and hit three batters.

Aeros' Guthrie gets hit, then takes a hit
Pitcher struggles after being smacked on leg

While Indians slugger Matt Lawton was busy taking Boston ace Pedro Martinez deep in the first inning in Cleveland on Thursday night, the Tribe's top pitching prospect, Jeremy Guthrie, was quickly dispensing the side for Portland, the Red Sox's Double-A team, 35 miles away in Akron.

But while it appeared that Guthrie -- like the Indians -- had the upper hand early, Sea Dogs starter Jerome Gamble -- like Martinez -- one-upped him by striking out the side in the bottom of the inning -- something Portland hadn't done this season.

It was just the first inning Thursday at Canal Park, but just like the ultimate outcome between the squads' parent teams, it was a sign of things to come.

While Guthrie struggled to make it through 4-2/3 innings, Gamble (Boston's 16th-ranked prospect) cruised through his five innings of work to earn the win in Portland's home run-aided 12-6 victory.

``He (Gamble) needed an outing like this, something positive to build off of,'' Portland pitching coach Bob Kipper said.
``He had been a little passive, so it was good to see him be aggressive and work through a rough inning.''

As for Guthrie, who was recently sent back to Double-A to work on his fastball command, his undoing appeared to be traced to a come-backer off the bat of Edgar Martinez.
With two out in the second inning, Martinez smacked a line drive that banged off Guthrie's right leg.
Although Aeros trainer Todd Tomczyk came out to check on Guthrie, the Indians' first pick in the 2002 draft (22nd overall), insisted he was fine and stayed in -- much to the Sea Dogs' delight.

From that point on, Guthrie struggled mightily with his command -- hitting three batters, while allowing a trio of home runs as proof.

Guthrie gave up a three-run home run to Sheldon Fulse in the Sea Dogs' four-run second inning.

The next inning, he dished up a two-run homer to Bret Roneberg to spot Portland a 6-0 lead.

To their credit, the Aeros battled back to cut the lead in half with a three-run third, taking advantage of a pair of Gamble walks and a timely two-run triple by Jason Cooper.

But just as soon as the Aeros began to make up ground, Roneberg extended the Sea Dogs' lead with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

It wasn't long after John Hattig led off the fifth inning with a solo homer that the Aeros' bullpen finally stirred, and Guthrie was able to call it a night.

``He was throwing too many curve balls because he couldn't establish his fastball,'' Aeros manager Brad Komminsk said.
``He just couldn't locate it all night.''

With Portland reliever Juan Perez on in the seventh, Akron's Franklin Gutierrez made the game interesting with a three-run home that pulled the Aeros within two runs.

Despite the Aeros having the bases loaded in the ninth, that was all the offense the host would muster, especially after Portland put the game away with a four-run eighth on the strength of four hits.