The Result
Seawolves - 10 to 6

Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
33 wins - 38 losses

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

At the end of the Game
2 hits from 5 at-bats - double, triple, 1 x RBI, 1 x run scored, 1 x caught stealing

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - two down
Ball - fast ball - low and away
Radio disconnected - and when it was back on-line, the count was "3balls-1strike"
A two-bouncer towards second base and it was fielded cleanly - but the throw to first base was wide on the home plate side and pulled the first-baseman off the bag and though he tried to slap-tag Brett as he went up the line, he missed and Brett was safe at the base on an error
Safe at first on an error
Brett took off for second base on the first pitch to the next batter - "and there goes Roneberg and that is a perfect throw from the catcher and Roneberg is out and though he is standing on the base arguing the call, the innings is over" - caught stealing
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - two down
Called strike
Ball - breaking ball - high
Ball - breaking ball - inside and low
"A line drive deep down the leftfield line and if it's fair, it's trouble!!! - it is!!! - it goes all the way in to the corner and Roneberg has himself an easy double"
Double
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - none down - and the runner was the go-ahead run in a "2-2" ballgame!!!
Called strike - on the outside corner
"And that is very well hit to straight-away centrefield!!! - and the fielder is going back!!! - and back!!! - and it's off the wall!!! - and bounces back towards the infield - and Lockwood scores!!! - and Roneberg is rounding second and heading for third base and he has himself a stand-up triple, and that's his second of the year"
Triple
......and 1 x RBI
The commentator went on to say "that there is a chain link fence out in centrefield and it appeared that the ball bounced off one of the poles and was rolling towards the infield"
"It looked like Brett had visions of an inside-the-park home run but he held up at third"
Scored on a sacrifice-fly by a following Sea Dogs batter
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - two down
Swing&miss - "and Brett tried to check his swing"
Foul ball - breaking ball - tipped in-and-out of the catcher's glove
Ball - down and away
"A dribbler down the third base line which is cleanly picked up"
Out 5-to-3
Fifth at-bat
???handed pitcher
Led off the innings
Called strike - fast ball
"Hit hard but straight at the Seawolves first-baseman who knocks it down with his chest and takes it to the bag for the first out here in the ninth innings"
Out PO3

Heard during the game
(1) As he gave out the starting line-ups, the commentator mentioned that "Brett Roneberg is batting third tonight and is back in his customary spot in rightfield - Brett missed the game last night, as he has been playing with a very sore hand - it is his glove hand and appears to be torn ligaments"

(2) After his double in his second at-bat, the commentator said "Brett now has twenty-nine extra-base-hits and that is leading the Sea Dogs"

He also said "Brett has now reached base in twenty-one of his last fourty-one plate appearances"

(3) Following his triple in his third at-bat, the commentator said "Brett is leading the Sea Dogs in home runs (12), extra-base-hits (30), and runs-driven-in (44)"

Brett is also leading the Sea Dogs in - at-bats (265), runs scored (41), hits (77) and total bases (133)

Email from Brett
(written before the game - following his day off yesterday)
It was nice to have a day off.
Especially with that pitcher on the mound. (a "tough lefty!!)
Got to relax and recover from some "niggles".
It was good.
I'm back in there today.
(and after the game)
I did have a good day today.
Apart from blowing a 6-2 lead!!
I played okay.

Game Reports
Dogs turn sure win to disappointing loss

The Portland Sea Dogs squandered too many chances Tuesday night.
The result?
A 10-6 loss to the Erie SeaWolves before 2,205 fans at Jerry Uht Park.

The opportunities were there, plenty of them - a four-run lead after 5-1/2 innings; four errors by the SeaWolves; three double plays by the Sea Dogs.

All of that, gone to waste.

Erie scored eight consecutive runs in the sixth and seventh innings to overcome a 6-2 deficit and pluck the win from the Sea Dogs.

The crusher was Kurt Airoso's three-run homer in the seventh off reliever Jason Howell (3-5).

"It's a game of momentum," said Portland Manager Ron Johnson.
"We had it, we were controlling it and we gave it back to them."

Trailing 2-0 early, the Sea Dogs tied the game in the fourth.
Jeff Bailey crushed a hanging curveball from Erie starter Preston Larrison over the fence in left-center field for his ninth homer of the season.
Mike O'Keefe then reached on a two-base error charged to left fielder Neil Jenkins and scored on Kenny Perez's single.

Portland took the lead in the fifth.
Mike Lockwood led off with a single and scored on Brett Roneberg's triple.
Bailey followed with a sacrifice fly and it was 4-2, Sea Dogs.

Perez homered in the top of the sixth and after Jimmy Alvarez walked, Joe Kilburg delivered an RBI single to give Portland a 6-2 lead.

"We were taking the game," said Johnson.
"We were making them play with the baseball. If you can do that at this level, you have an opportunity to win."

But the momentum turned in the bottom of the sixth when Erie got to Portland starter Josh Stevens for four runs, three coming on Brandon Harper's eighth home run of the season.

"We were feeling good," said Johnson,
"but it was just a five-minute window and the game was tied."

Erie shortstop Anderson Hernandez was ejected in the eighth inning after being called out on a close play at first base.

NOTES
Portland sent left-handed pitcher Joe Rogers back to Class A Sarasota, opening a roster spot for tonight's starter, Charlie Zink.
Rogers (0-1) made three appearances for the Sea Dogs.
Roneberg will play for Australia in the Athens Olympic Games, while Erie's Derek Nicholson was recently named to the Greek national team.
They will face each other in a preliminary-round game Aug. 20.

Whatever it takes

On his way to the Erie SeaWolves' clubhouse Tuesday night, Brandon Harper stopped to sign an autograph.
It's not clear what message he wrote, but a good guess might have been "Tired."

The SeaWolves catcher seemed to be at the center of every twist and turn Tuesday, and there were plenty of them in a game in which the 'Wolves rallied to beat Portland 10-6 before a paid crowd of 2,205 at Jerry Uht Park.

In a scrapbook-worthy performance, Harper threw out two runners, contributed to a Portland rally with a throwing error, hit a tying three-run homer and even played an inning at first base when the SeaWolves ran out of players in the ninth.
Oh, and he was hit by a pitch, too.
Just another ho-hum night.

"Yeah, right," Harper said with a tired smile.

Their fourth straight victory kept the SeaWolves (40-29) one game out of the Eastern League Southern Division lead.
First-place Altoona rallied to beat Akron for the second straight night Tuesday.

Even so, the 'Wolves seem to have cornered the market on rallies.
They took a 2-0 lead Tuesday, allowed six straight runs by Portland, then scored eight runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

It was the third time in the past four games they have scored at least seven unanswered runs to win, starting with a seven-run ninth in Saturday's 13-7 victory at Altoona.

That followed a six-game stretch in which they scored a total of 10 runs.

"The big inning against Altoona the other night really seemed to spark us," Harper said.
"Since then it seems like everybody is getting good at-bats. We're in a groove now."

Portland took a 6-2 lead against SeaWolves starter Preston Larrison, who was in trouble most of the night and left after throwing more than 100 pitches in six innings.

The six runs matched the season high against Larrison, but manager Rick Sweet praised him for working out of trouble in the second and third innings.

"He didn't have his best stuff," Sweet said. "But he competed and he kept us in the game."

The SeaWolves tied it in the sixth.
Derek Nicholson's RBI fielder's choice cut it to 6-3 and put runners at first and second with one out.
Harper then lifted a curveball from losing pitcher Jason Howell (3-5) just over the wall in left.

In the seventh, Portland reliever Bo Donaldson walked Ryan Raburn and David Espinosa leading off the inning.
Kurt Airoso then lined a three-run homer to straightaway center, his team-leading 14th.
Jack Hannahan added a solo homer two batters later to make it 10-6.

Lee Rodney (2-0) relieved Larrison to start the seventh and worked 1-2/3 scoreless innings for the win.

Brian Schmack recorded the last four outs for his first save.

Raburn also homered Tuesday and had an RBI single, giving him eight hits and four RBIs in the past three games.

Harper, meanwhile, made his second emergency appearance at first base in two years when Anderson Hernandez was ejected in the eighth inning after a close play at first.
Portland's Brett Roneberg started the ninth with a hard groundball right at Harper, who fielded it cleanly and touched first.

"That's usually the way it happens," Harper said. "I wasn't surprised."

SEA DOGS BLOW LATE LEAD IN ERIE, LOSE 10-6
3 Home Runs in 6th and 7th Propels SeaWolves to Comeback Win

Former Sea Dog Brandon Harper hit a game-tying three-run home run in the sixth inning and Kurt Airoso hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh frame as the Erie SeaWolves rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Portland Sea Dogs, 10-6 on Tuesday night at Jerry Uht Park.

Kenny Perez started three above-average double plays and went 2-for-3 with a home run, single, hit by pitch and two RBI to earn the Allied Big Dog of the Game award.

Portland led 6-2 entering the sixth inning when Josh Stevens struggled.

A walk and two singles scored a run and set up Harper's game-tying home run on a hanging curve ball.

In the seventh inning, reliever Jason Howell (3-5) walked the first two batters of the inning and allowed the home run to Airoso that traveled over the 400-foot sign in straight-away center field.
Two batters later, Jack Hannahan homered over the scoreboard in right-center field to account for the final 10-6 score.

Howell is 0-2 and has allowed nine runs on six walks and nine hits in 3.2 innings on the current road trip.

Jeff Bailey hit his ninth home run and drove in two runs for the Sea Dogs.

Perez tied the game in the fourth inning with a single and homered in the sixth inning to give Portland a three-run lead.

Brett Roneberg doubled, tripled and drove in a run.

Joe Kilburg added two hits and an RBI in the loss.

Eastern League Game Summary - Portland at Erie

Brandon Harper went 3-for-3 and was one of four Erie players to hit a home run as the Erie SeaWolves defeated the Portland Sea Dogs, 10-6, in an Eastern League game Tuesday night.

Winners of four straight games, Erie improved to 40-29, while Portland, losers of two consecutive, fell to 33-38.

Ryan Raburn got Erie on the board early by blasting a solo home run to left field in the first inning and roping an RBI double in the third.

Portland responded by scoring two runs in each the fourth, fifth and sixth frames to take a 6-2 lead.

But Harper hammered a three-run home run in Erie's four-run sixth inning and the SeaWolves added another four runs in the seventh with Kurt Airoso socking a three-run home run and Jack Hannahan knocking a solo shot to set the final score.

Lee Rodney (2-0) earned the win with 1-2/3rd scoreless innings of relief.
He gave up two hits and struck out two.

Losing pitcher Jason Howell (3-5) allowed four runs on two hits and two walks in one inning of work.

Erie and Portland are scheduled to play again Wednesday evening.