The Result
Rock Cats - 10 to 7

Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
28 wins - 32 losses

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

At the end of the Game
0 hit from 6 at-bats

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at second base - none down
Called strike
Ball - fast ball - away
Ball - down and in - "and that nearly hit him"
Broken-bat pop-up which was caught by the third-baseman - "and the bat boy is out picking up the pieces of the bat down the first base line" - "the barrel of the bat ended up near first base"
Out F5
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Called strike
"A little blooper over the shortstop and that could be trouble but the leftfielder got there to make the catch and Roneberg is 0-for-2 with two weak fly balls"
Out F7
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - one down
Foul ball - back to the screen
...and the runner went to second base on an "error-pick-off-throw"
Ball - change-up - "a borderline pitch, and it was either low or outside"
Ball - fast ball - very high
"A high fly ball to medium depth centrefield and caught and Roneberg is now 0-for-3 with three balls hit in the air and none of them have travelled very far"
Out F8
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher - "side-armer"
Led off the innings
Ball - low
Called strike - on the outside corner
Broken-bat fly ball into shallow centrefield and caught by the fielder coming in - "and you can only describe Roneberg's night as four very weak fly-outs"
Out F8
Fifth at-bat
???handed pitcher
(did not listen)
Bases empty - two down
Fly ball into centrefield
Out F8
Sixth at-bat
???handed pitcher
(did not listen)
Bases empty - two down
Ground ball to shortstop
Out 6-to-3

Heard during the game
(1) When the commentator was giving out the starting line-ups, he said "Brett Roneberg is in rightfield and batting at number three and he has played all but one game this season and the game he missed he was suffering from a violent stomach flu and he did not even come to the ballpark"

(2) As Brett was coming in for his first at-bat, the commentator mentioned that "Brett has been struggling of late being just '2-for' in his last fourteen at-bats"

(3) After his fourth at-bat, the commentator said "Roneberg is '0-for' four tonight, '0-for' his last seven, and just '2-for' his last eighteen and that is by far his biggest slump of the year"

Email from Brett
Thank God for that day being over!
It was a long one for me.
Even though I crushed that last ball the way things were going I was never going to get a hit!!!
But today is a new day and I will be back at them.
Wish me luck and today will be better to listen to!
Bye.

Game Reports
Decision turns out wrong for Dogs

Portland Sea Dogs Manager Ron Johnson made the textbook move, intentionally walking a right-handed batter to face left-handed hitting Matt Scanlon, with lefty Jason Howell on the mound.

But Scanlon defied logic with a three-run homer in the top of the 10th inning, giving the New Britain Rock Cats a 10-7 win over the Sea Dogs Friday night at Hadlock Field.

"I don't want to say I don't feel bad. I do," Johnson said.
"But any time I can create a developmental situation on the field, I sit back and say 'OK boys, go to work.'
You got to give credit to Scanlon."

It was New Britain's third home run of the night.

The game started with cheers, as former Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant threw out the first pitch.
Tiant got down to business, taking off his coat and showcasing his famous 180-degree windup, to the applause of the Hadlock fans.

Then it was Chris Smith's turn to pitch, and the crowd turned from appreciative to shocked.

Six pitches into the game New Britain led, 3-0. Smith allowed a double, hit a batter and then gave up a three-run Billy Munoz homer to left-center
(It would be Munoz's only moment of glory, as he struck out the next three times and was ejected for arguing the third one).
Two more New Britain hits - a double and a single - made it 4-0 before the Sea Dogs had a chance to bat.

"He's going to have nights like that," Johnson said of Smith.
"He settled down and did a pretty nice job. We got down early and battled back."

Portland chipped away at its deficit.

The Sea Dogs scored once in the first, on an RBI double by Mike Campo, and added another in the second on singles by Kenny Perez and Joe Kilburg and a throwing error.

Perez ended up a home run short of hitting for the cycle.

The Sea Dogs took the lead with three runs in the third - a bunt single by George Lombard and RBI hits by Mike O'Keefe, Perez (triple) and Edgar Martinez.

But Smith missed out on a chance for his sixth win when he faltered in the fourth.
With one runner on and two outs, Tommy Watkins stroked an RBI single and reached second when the ball got past left fielder Campo.
Watkins scored on a Luis Maza double for a 6-5 New Britain lead.

Then it was Portland's turn to rally again, scoring two off reliever Pat Neshek in the sixth.
Lombard beat out an infield single and scored on Sean McGowan's double.
Perez then doubled home McGowan to give the Sea Dogs a 7-6 lead.

New Britain tied it in the eighth.
Sea Dogs reliever Bo Donaldson, who had retired his first six batters, gave up a no-doubt homer over the right-field fence by Garrett Jones leading off the eighth.

Donaldson retired the next three batters.

Howell (3-3) relieved in the ninth and pitched a perfect frame.

In the 10th, Seth Davidson (subbing for Munoz) led off with a bloop double to left.
Two outs later, Howell intentionally walked Rob Bowen to face Scanlon, who sent Howell's first pitch over the fence in right-center.

Portland (28-32) fell back into last place by itself in the Eastern League's Northern Division, a game behind New Britain (28-30).

NOTES
The paid attendance was 5,559.
As was the case in his last start, Smith began the game in second place in the league in strikeouts but moved into first.
He struck out five for a total of 72, four ahead of Erie's Wilfredo Ledesma.
Third baseman John Hattig missed his fifth straight game with back spasms.
Until Friday, Portland and New Britain were the only teams in Double-A to have played only one extra-inning game this season.
Portland's only other extra-frame game was April 15, a 2-1 win over Binghamton in 11 innings.

Eastern League Game Summary - New Britain at Portland

Matt Scanlon hit a three-run homer in the top of the tenth to give the New Britain Rock Cats a 10-7 win over the Portland Sea Dogs.

New Britain improved its record to 28-30 while Portland fell to 28-32.

Seth Davidson led off the tenth with a pinch hit double.
After a Kevin West fly out and a Garrett Jones pop up, Rob Bowen was intentionally walked.
Scanlon followed with a shot to right centerfield, his first of the season.

Billy Munoz (8) hit a three-run homer that capped off a four run first inning for New Britain.

Tommy Watkins went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI for the Rock Cats and Garrett Jones hit his sixth homer of the year.

Bobby Korecky (3-2) pitched three scoreless innings out of the bullpen to record his third win of the season for New Britain.

Portland's Jason Howell took the loss and fell to 3-3 for the year.
Howell allowed three runs on two hits and a walk in two innings of service.

Kenny Perez went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBI, a double and a triple for the Sea Dogs.

NEW BRITAIN RALLIES FOR 10-7 WIN AT PORTLAND
Late Homers Propel Rock Cats

Garrett Jones hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning and Matt Scanlon hit a three-run home run in the tenth frame, lifting the New Britain Rock Cats to a 10-7 win over the Portland Sea Dogs on Friday night at Hadlock Field.

Kenny Perez was the Allied Big Dog of the Game after finishing a home run shy of the cycle with two RBI and two runs scored.

Portland rallied from deficits of 4-0 and 6-5 and took a 7-6 lead on RBI doubles from Sean McGowan and Perez in the sixth inning.

After two perfect innings of relief, Bo Donaldson allowed the game-tying home run to Jones on the first pitch of the eighth inning.

Prior to the pitch, Sea Dog relievers had retired 39 of the previous 41 batters faced.

In the tenth frame, reliever Jason Howell gave up a bloop double to Seth Davidson.
After two pop-ups, Howell intentionally walked Rob Bowen to get to the left-handed Scanlon - who ripped Howell's first pitch off the Ford Board in right-center field.

George Lombard was 2-for-4 with two runs scored in his second game with the Sea Dogs.

Chris Smith allowed six runs (five earned) in five innings but fanned five to regain the Eastern League lead in strikeouts with 72.

Scanlon's Home Run In 10th Lifts Rock Cats

Matt Scanlon hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning to give the New Britain Rock Cats a 10-7 victory over the Sea Dogs Friday in Portland, Maine.

Billy Munoz also had a three-run homer for the Rock Cats and Garrett Jones a solo shot.

Kenny Perez went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs for the Sea Dogs (28-32) with a triple and a double.

Mike Campo and Sean McGowan had RBI doubles for Portland.

Seth Davidson led off New Britain's 10th with a bloop double.
With two out, Rob Bowen was walked intentionally to bring up Scanlon.