The Somerset Patriots dominated in their series against the Portland Sea Dogs, going 5-2 between April 28 and May 3. This improved their record from 7-13 to 12-15. The Patriots currently rank 5th in the Eastern League Northeast, and are leading the league in home runs.
The series began on the 28th, where the Patriots took home a 2-1 win over the Sea Dogs at their Disability Inclusion Night. The Patriots scored once in the 2nd inning, giving them a small but crucial lead. After four scoreless innings, both teams earned one run in the 7th. The game ended quickly that night, and the Patriots took the initial lead in the series.
The second matchup was a complete blowout for Somerset. They started off the night with three runs in the 2nd, 4 in the 3rd, and 3 in the 4th. With only one run on the opposing side, things weren’t looking good for Portland. In the 5th and 6th innings, the Patriots earned another three runs, securing a 13-1 victory for their second win of the series.
After two back-to-back losses for the Sea Dogs, something needed to change. And it definitely did. The game began with the Patriots securing one run in the 2nd. But not long after, the Sea Dogs answered back, scoring two in the 4th. In the 5th, Portland scored one run and Somerset two. Entering the 7th tied 3-3, tensions were high. Scoring three in the 7th left Portland just one ahead of Somerset, and the game ended with the Sea Dogs taking home their first win of the week 6-5.
Entering the halfway point in the series, the Patriots led with two wins compared to the Sea Dogs’ one. Straight out of the gate Somerset once again took an early lead, scoring two runs in the very first inning. After a few slow innings, Portland answered back, scoring once in the fifth. Still holding the lead, the Patriots entered the 7th strong and ready to conquer. After scoring seven runs in three innings, Portland attempted to come back with five of their own, but it wasn’t enough to stop Somerset from taking home another win that night.
Now with a 3-1 edge, the Patriots showed no signs of slowing down. The next night they came out with an immediate seven runs in the first two innings, and with no response from the Sea Dogs, they kept pushing. Somerset scored another three in the 4th and 9th, in comparison to Portland who earned two in the 6th and one in the 9th. The game ended in another 13-3 dominant win for the Patriots.
With only two more games left in the series, the Sea Dogs had a lot of ground to cover but unfortunately it was not their night. The Sea Dogs offense was completely shut down, unable to score a single run all night. On the flip side, the Patriots earned 11 runs between the 3rd and 6th innings. After being shut down over and over again, it was clear the Patriots had this series in the bag.
In one last attempt to put up some points, Portland gave it their all for their last matchup of the series. Despite letting up the first run to the Patriots, the Sea Dogs bounced right back and scored seven runs, taking a 7-1 lead. In the 8th inning, Portland was relentless, and scored another four runs. The Patriots, only having scored four total runs by the end of the 9th, were unable to keep up. The series concluded this night with the Sea Dogs taking their second and final win against the Patriots.
The series between the Somerset Patriots and Portland Sea Dogs ended 5-2, greatly improving the Patriots record and leaving quite a bit of damage to the Sea Dogs. The Somerset Patriots currently stand with a record of 12-15, and the Portland Sea Dogs are currently 13-14. The Patriots face the New Hampshire Fisher Cats tonight at 6:35 pm EST, so make sure to tune in!
