The Result
Sea Dogs - 6 to 4

Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
55 wins - 61 losses

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

At the end of the Game
1 hits from 4 at-bats - single, 1 x RBI, 1 x hit-by-pitched-ball, 1 x error

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at second base - one down
Called strike - "knicked the outside corner"
Lined into leftfield for a base hit - "that pitch was on the outside and Brett went with it and drove it into left"
Single
......and 1 x RBI
Went to third base on a hit
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty two down
Ground ball towards second base
Out 4-to-3
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at third base - two down
Ball - low
Called strike
Ball - low inside
"And that pitch is hit sharply but straight at the shortstop"
Out 6-to-3
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - two down
Called strike - "and that is a very high strike"
Foul ball - off the end of the bat
Ball - low and away
"And that pitch hits him!!! ...... in the back, or maybe on the hip ...... and that is the last thing you need before heading off the represent your country in the Olympics ...... and Roneberg angrily flips the bat away as he heads down to first base"
Hit by pitched ball
Went to third base on a hit
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Fifth at-bat
Runner at second base - one down
Ball
Ball - outside
Foul ball - fast ball - down the first base line
"A ground ball to the Thunder first-baseman who flips to the pitcher covering the base"
Out 3-to-1

Error
In the top of the ninth innings the Sea Dogs were leading 6 runs to 4
The Thunder were one down with a runner at first base
The next batter steps into the box and "that pitch is driven deep into right-centrefield and Roneberg is there to make the catch on the warning track ...... no, he dropped it!!! ...... he flat out dropped it!!! ...... it didn't seem a difficult chance as he was stopped when he was catching the ball"
That put runners at first and third base - with just one down in a 6-4 ballgame
The next batter struck out making it two down
The next Thunder batter "drove that pitch to deep centrefield and the fielder is at the fence and leaps and makes the catch to end the ballgame!!! ...... and that catch takes Roneberg off the hook!!! ...... the Sea Dogs hold on to win 6 runs to 4"
(see notes in the game reports below)

Heard during the game
(1) As he was giving out the starting line-ups, the commentator said "Brett Roneberg is in rightfield and batting third and it is Brett's last game with the Sea Dogs before he leaves to join up with the Australian Team for the Athens Olympics ...... and he then mentioned that 'Brett will be sent off in style tonight" (but have no idea what that means!!!)

(2) As Brett was coming in for his first at-bat, the game announcer could be heard in the background saying "......and give Brett a big hand for his final game before the Olympics" - and he got a really great ovation!!! - lots of cheering and clapping!!!

(3) After driving in a run in his first at-bat, the commentator said -
------"that is Brett's team leading seventieth run-driven-in for the season"
------"twenty-eight of those runs have either tied or put the Sea Dogs ahead"
------"Brett is leading the team in both two-out-runs-driven-in and go-ahead-runs-driven-in"

(4) Standing on first base after his hit in his first at-bat, Brett went to third base on a hit by the following Sea Dogs batter - the commentator said "that was a bloop hit and normally the runner would hold up at second base but with good base-running Roneberg is standing at third base with one down ...... great recognition by Brett of where the ball was going"

Email from Brett
N/A

Game Reports

Fulse pulls Dogs back from brink

The ball certainly seemed headed out of Hadlock Field.

But center fielder Sheldon Fulse interrupted its path, robbing Aaron Rifkin of a home run in the ninth inning to preserve the Portland Sea Dogs' 6-4 win over the Trenton Thunder Monday night before a sold-out Hadlock crowd of 6,975.

Rifkin was batting with two runners on and two outs.
He faced a 2-2 count against Marc Deschenes as the remaining fans stood and clapped.
But Rifkin had them gasping when he drilled the ball to center.
Fulse, shaded toward right field, trotted over, leaped and made the catch above the wall.

''It was just time to get the ball. That's all,'' Fulse said between congratulations in the Portland clubhouse.

Fulse and Deschenes (fifth save) helped shut down the Thunder, who began the ninth down 6-2.
After solo home runs by Omar Fuentes and Kevin Thompson against Juan Perez, Deschenes was summoned.

The win capped two performances of note.
No. 1 prospect Hanley Ramirez came a triple short of the cycle, going 3 for 5 and drilling a three-run homer in the second.
Kason Gabbard (1-4) notched his first Double-A win, gutting his way through five innings, allowing four hits and two runs (one earned).

The win propelled Portland (55-61) a game ahead of Trenton, leaving the Thunder (53-61) in last place in the Eastern League's Northern Division.
The Sea Dogs are a half-game behind New Britain for fourth.

Ramirez, 20, hit his first home run since his promotion to Portland last week.
He also made another superb play at short, diving to his right to stop Fuentes' hard grounder.
Ramirez jumped up and fired a strike to first baseman Stefan Bailie for the out.
''The play was phenomenal,'' Sea Dogs Manager Ron Johnson said.
'He has a chance to be a good player.
I don't want to go crazy over the kid. He's going to have his ups and downs. (I'm pleased) to see him having success.''

Ramirez began the game with a single and later scored on Brett Roneberg's single.

Ramirez's second-inning home run landed in the right-field bullpen.

Others contributing to the offense included Bailie, who went 3 for 5 to raise his average to .344.

Mike O'Keefe (2 for 3) launched a home run that was last seen headed for Fitzpatrick Stadium.
His two-run shot in the fifth completed the Sea Dogs scoring.

Gabbard, who allowed nine runs in three innings in his last game, said ''you have to put it behind you.''

The game almost got away from him in the second inning, when Trenton scored twice for a 2-1 lead and had runners on first and third with nobody out.
But Gabbard fielded a ground ball and ran toward Caonabo Cosme, trapping him between third and home, and tagged him out.
He retired the next two batters.

''I was proud of Gabbard's outing,'' Johnson said.
''He was on the verge (of an outing) like the last one, and got his command back.''

It looked like an easy win for the Sea Dogs until Fuentes and Thompson homered in the ninth.
After a single and a deep fly ball that was dropped by Roneberg, Deschenes struck out Mitch Jones for the second out.
Then it was time for Fulse to save the game.

NOTES
Roneberg leaves today for the Olympics.
He will play for Australia and then return to Portland on Aug. 26.
The Olympics also caused Portland to lose pitcher Bo Donaldson.
He moved up to Pawtucket to start today in place of John Stephens, who will be pitching for Australia in Athens.
Outfielder Justin Headley was activated Monday after being on the disabled list all season.
Headley, a Sea Dogs regular last year, had shoulder surgery in the off-season.
Pitcher Jerome Gamble was also activated. He went on the disabled list June 6 with a sore arm.
Gamble will work out of the bullpen, as will Greg Montalbano, another starter coming off the DL.
Montalbano had shoulder surgery in the off- season.
Shortstop Kenny Perez is day to day with a sore hamstring.
Pitcher Abe Alvarez will skip his next start in order to limit his innings.
Alvarez, who has pitched 115-1/3 innings, will start again on Aug. 16.
Portland's last bobblehead giveaway was Monday, and 1,000 Bill Mueller dolls were gobbled up in 10 minutes.

YOUNG SEA DOGS SPARKLE IN 6-4 WIN OVER TRENTON
Ramirez Hits First AA HR, Gabbard Earns First AA Win

Hanley Ramirez went 3-for-5 with his first Double-A home run and Kason Gabbard tossed five strong innings for his first Double-A win as the Portland Sea Dogs topped the Trenton Thunder, 6-4 before a sellout crowd at Hadlock Field Monday night.

Ramirez finished a triple shy of the cycle, drove in three runs and drove in two.
His opposite field three-run home run in the second inning gave the Dogs the lead for good.

Gabbard allowed only one earned run and fanned three to improve to 1-4.

Portland survived an anxious ninth inning, allowing two runs to make the score 6-4.
With the tying runs on base and two out, Sheldon Fulse made a leaping catch at the center field wall to rob Aaron Rifkin of a potential go-ahead home run.

Brett Roneberg singled in a run for his eighth RBI in his last five games.
He departs on Tuesday for Greece to play for the Australian National Team in the Summer Olympics.

Mike O'Keefe added his 17th home run in the fifth inning, becoming the 15th player in franchise history to hit 17 home runs in one season.

SEA DOGS DOWN THUNDER, 6-4, ON GAME-SAVING CATCH
Rifkin's Potential Go-Ahead HR Brought Back By Fulse

Portland CF Sheldon Fulse took away a potential go-ahead three-run homer with a game-saving catch over the left-centerfield wall in the 9th inning to preserve a 6-4 win for the Sea Dogs over the Thunder.

The loss was the sixth in a row for Trenton.

The Thunder (53-61) trailed 6-2 entering the 9th inning, but got solo home runs from Omar Fuentes and Kevin Thompson off Sea Dogs reliever Juan Perez to close the gap to 6-4.
After a pitching change brought on Marc Deschenes, Andy Cannizaro singled and Craig Wilson reached on an error by RF Brett Roneberg to put two men on base.
Deschenes struck out Mitch Jones for the second out.
Rifkin hit his ball deep into left-centerfield before Fulse climbed the wall to rob him of a go-ahead three-run homer.

Deschenes earned his 5th save and preserved the Double-A win of starter Kason Gabbard (1-4), who allowed one run in five innings.

Portland (55-61) started quick courtesy of SS Hanley Ramirez, rated as the #1 prospect in the Red Sox organization.
He had a single, double and three-run home run to lead the Sea Dogs attack.

Ramirez singled in the 1st inning and scored on an RBI single by Brett Roneberg for the first run of the night and then added his homer off Trenton starter Justin Pope in the 2nd inning for a 4-2 lead.

The Thunder were able to take a brief 2-1 lead in the 2nd inning before the Ramirez home run on an RBI double by Caonabo Cosme and an RBI single by Jason Grove.

The Sea Dogs took a 6-1 lead in the 5th inning thanks to a two-run home run by O'Keefe.

Pope (3-2) was charged with six runs on nine hits in 4-2/3 innings.

Trenton's bullpen kept them in the game.
Tim Adkins, Dave Elder and Rik Currier combined for 3-1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

The second game of the series in Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
Francisco Villegas (1-2) starts for the Thunder against Portland's Ryan Cameron (3-4).

Eastern League Game Summary - Trenton at Portland

Hanley Ramirez hit a three-run home run and Mike O'Keefe stroked a two-run shot to lead the Portland Sea Dogs to a 6-4 win over the Trenton Thunder.

Ramirez' blast came in the third inning, and was his first as a member of the Sea Dogs.

O'Keefe went deep in the fifth inning, his 17th of the year.

Kason Gabbard (1-4) allowed two runs - one earned - on four hits in five innings of work to get the win.

Marc Deschenes earned his fifth save, allowing a hit in 2/3rds of an inning.

Justin Pope (3-2) allowed six runs on nine hits in 4-2/3rd innings to suffer the loss.

Kevin Thompson and Omar Fuentes each hit a solo home run in a losing effort.

The two teams will face off again tomorrow evening.

Thunder hit rock bottom
Loss to Portland drops team into EL’s Northern basement

The parent clubs, the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, are the perennial frontrunners in the American League East, and are currently fighting for postseason positioning.

The two clubs have gotten where they are, at least in part, by dealing prospects for All-Stars, using their farm systems as a way to nourish the big clubs.
The result was evident on Hadlock Field last night.

There was no playoff-level excitement between the Thunder and the Red Sox’ Double-A affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs - just two teams playing to avoid the ignominious standing of dead last.

The Thunder hit that rock bottom Sunday following a four-game sweep at the hands of the first-place Binghamton Mets, whom they trailed by 14 games entering yesterday.

Officially, the Thunder were tied with the Sea Dogs for last, but they now hold that position solo courtesy of a heartbreaking, 6-4 loss last night.

The defeat was the sixth straight for the Thunder.
It is their second longest slide of the season but still two games shy of their season-worst eight-game losing streak in May, a losing streak that knocked the team from first to fifth in the six-team Eastern League North.
The Thunder (53-61) never really recovered, never again taking the division lead.

Still, there is a unique division between second, which qualifies for the postseason, and last, which qualifies only to incur the wrath of the Yankees’ brass.

"We’ve got to go out and play, that’s all," manager Stump Merrill said. "You’re a professional. Do your job.
No one wants to be in the position we’re in, but let’s go out and do something about it.
We sure as (heck) don’t want to finish last."

The Thunder worked exclusively on situational hitting during batting practice, and it paid off in the early going.
They scored two runs in the second inning on a single, double, walk and an error, and would’ve had three if not for a base running blunder by Caonabo Cosme.

That gave the team a 2-1 lead, but Justin Pope, who has been spectacular since moving from the bullpen to the rotation, could not hold it.
In four starts with the Thunder this season, Pope was 2-1 with a 1.32 ERA, 23 strikeouts and three walks.
But he was never right yesterday.
The right-hander allowed a three-run homer to Hanley Ramirez, the Red Sox’ top prospect, in the second inning, and a two-run, tape-measure shot to Mike O’Keefe in the fifth.
That gave the Sea Dogs (55-61) a 6-2 lead, and Pope would last just two more batters.
In all, Pope (3-2) was tagged for the six runs, all earned, on nine hits.
He also walked three and registered just one strikeout in 4-2/3 innings, his shortest stint as a starter.

"Control and nit-picking and falling behind hitters and leaving the ball up," Pope said, rattling off his list of mistakes.
"I just didn’t feel comfortable on the mound."

Portland’s sellout crowd was similarly unnerved in the ninth inning.
Solo home runs by Omar Fuentes and Kevin Thompson cut the Sea Dogs’ lead to two runs.
Andy Cannizaro followed with a single and Portland right fielder Brett Roneberg dropped Craig Wilson’s long fly ball, putting runners on the corners with one out.
After Mitch Jones was caught looking at a 1-2 fastball, Aaron Rifkin nearly stole the game.
But in a stretch where precious little has gone the Thunder’s way, Rifkin was just the latest to be left wanting.
The first baseman crushed a 2-2 pitch from Marc Deschenes to deep left-center field.
Portland center fielder Sheldon Fulse sprinted over and leapt up, snagging the liner as he crashed into the wall.
If Fulse ball misses the ball, Rifkin has a home run and the Thunder a one-run lead.
Instead, the game was over.

"Off the bat I thought it would land somewhere, and I was hoping over the fence," Rifkin said.
"It’s frustrating. It feels like that kind of stuff has been happening all year."