By Tiffany Williams –
The Hartford Yard Goats ran wild, the Worcester Red Sox finally hit a roadblock and the Portland Sea Dogs handed away a game they had every chance to control.
That was Tuesday night across the region.
Hartford stole a franchise-record 11 bases in an 8-3 victory over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Dunkin’ Park, turning the opening game of a six-game series into a track meet before New Hampshire could catch its breath.
Andy Perez started the chaos immediately.
Andy Perez singled to open the bottom of the first inning, Dyan Jorge followed with a line-drive single to center field and then stole his 39th base of the season.
Braylen Wimmer drove both runners home with a two-run single up the middle, and Zach Kokoska added a two-out RBI single to right field to give Hartford a 3-0 lead before the first inning was over.
The Yard Goats did not simply take the lead.
They attacked.
They ran.
They forced New Hampshire to defend every inch of the field.
Hartford stole three bases in the first inning, reached five through two innings and eventually finished with 11, setting a new franchise record.
New Hampshire responded in the second when Hedbert Perez doubled, Dub Gleed walked and Jorge Burgos ripped a two-run triple down the right-field line to cut Hartford’s advantage to 3-2.
Andy Perez immediately answered.
GJ Hill opened the bottom of the second with a single before Andy Perez lined another single that brought GJ Hill home and restored Hartford’s two-run lead.
Andy Perez, who leads the Eastern League in hits, finished with three more.
He did not merely set the table.
He kept kicking the door back open every time New Hampshire tried to climb through it.
The Fisher Cats cut the deficit to 4-3 in the fifth when Arjun Nimmala doubled to the wall and drove home JR Freethy.
Hartford never flinched.
Zach Kokoska was hit by a pitch in the sixth, and GJ Hill drove him home with an RBI double to make it 5-3.
Then came the seventh inning.
Then came the humiliation.
Andy Perez and Dyan Jorge pulled off a double steal before Andy Perez scored on a wild pitch for Hartford’s 11th stolen base of the night.
That run established the franchise record and pushed the lead to 6-3.
Braylen Wimmer followed with another RBI single to score Dyan Jorge, and Aiden Longwell added an RBI single that brought home Roc Riggio.
Just like that, the game was gone.
Hartford had turned speed into pressure, pressure into mistakes and mistakes into an 8-3 victory.
Connor Staine earned his third consecutive win after allowing three runs over five innings with three walks and four strikeouts.
Fisher Jameson followed with three scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out one.
Hartford will continue the series Wednesday night at 7:10 p.m. with Jack Mahoney scheduled to start.
The promotion includes 90s Night and kids’ neon jerseys for the first 1,000 fans.
The Worcester Red Sox had a much different night in Norfolk.
Their season-high six-game winning streak ended in a 4-3 loss to the Norfolk Tides after a ninth-inning comeback fell one run short.
Franklin Arias gave Worcester the perfect beginning.
In only his third Triple-A game, Franklin Arias attacked the first pitch thrown by rehabbing Norfolk starter Chris Bassitt and launched it over the left-field wall.
The 386-foot home run was Franklin Arias’ first Triple-A hit and gave Worcester a 1-0 lead before much of the crowd at Harbor Park had settled into its seats.
It was explosive.
It was immediate.
It looked like the start of another Worcester win.
It was not.
The WooSox offense stalled, Norfolk hung around and the Tides eventually took control.
Raymond Burgos kept Worcester ahead until the fourth inning, when Reed Trimble singled with one out, advanced on a groundout and scored on a Creed Willems single up the middle.
The game remained tied until the seventh.
Creed Willems reached third base before Ryan Noda punched a single through the right side of a drawn-in Worcester infield to give Norfolk a 2-1 lead.
Payton Eeles followed with a single, and Luis Vázquez executed a safety squeeze that scored Ryan Noda and pushed the lead to 3-1.
Creed Willems then delivered another blow in the eighth, sending a solo home run to right field and giving the Tides a 4-1 advantage.
Worcester waited until the final out was nearly recorded before making its move.
With two outs and nobody on in the ninth, Allan Castro doubled off the right-field wall.
Brett Harris walked.
Two consecutive wild pitches brought Allan Castro home and moved Worcester within 4-2.
Kristian Campbell walked and stole second.
Vinny Capra then beat out an infield single to shortstop, allowing Brett Harris to score and bringing the WooSox within one.
Suddenly, the tying run stood at third base.
The winning run was on first.
The game was alive.
Franklin Arias came to the plate with a chance to finish the comeback he started.
He flew out to center field.
Game over.
The WooSox had made it dramatic, but drama does not erase the result.
Their six-game winning streak was finished.
Their road record fell to 23-26.
Juaron Watts-Brown earned the victory in his Triple-A debut after allowing two runs on two hits with four strikeouts over 4.2 innings.
Tyler Uberstine took the loss after allowing two runs on four hits with three strikeouts over three innings.
Jose Espada recorded the final out for his third save.
Worcester will try to even the series Wednesday night with Blake Wehunt scheduled to make his second Triple-A start against Cade Povich.
The Portland Sea Dogs had an even uglier problem.
They struck out 16 Harrisburg Senators.
They held Harrisburg to five hits.
They still lost 8-3.
That is not bad luck.
That is self-destruction.
Portland pitchers issued nine walks and hit two batters, handing Harrisburg free baserunners until the game broke open.
The Sea Dogs loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning, but Johanfran Garcia grounded into a double play in his first at-bat back from the injured list.
A run scored, but a major opportunity disappeared.
Miguel Bleis singled and stole second in the second inning before Tyler McDonough drove him home with an RBI single to give Portland a 2-0 lead.
Tyler McDonough was one of the few bright spots.
In his first game back with the Sea Dogs, Tyler McDonough produced two RBI singles, drew a walk, was hit by a pitch and stole two bases.
Nelly Taylor also reached base four times with two doubles and two walks.
Jack Winnay and Ronald Rosario each recorded two hits and a double.
The offense created chances.
The pitching staff gave the game away.
Harrisburg scored once in the third before taking control with four runs in the fourth.
The Senators batted around without needing to crush the baseball.
Four walks, one hit batter and two fielder’s choices were enough.
Portland cut the deficit to 5-3 when Nelly Taylor doubled with two outs and Tyler McDonough followed with his second RBI single.
That was the last real opening.
Ethan Petry ended the suspense in the sixth with a bases-clearing double down the third-base line, driving in three runs and stretching Harrisburg’s lead to 8-3.
Luke Young earned the win after throwing 1.2 scoreless innings.
Hayden Mullins took the loss after allowing five runs, three earned, on one hit, four walks and two hit batters while striking out six.
That pitching line told the entire story.
Hayden Mullins allowed only one hit.
He also allowed five runs.
Portland’s pitchers dominated the strikeout column and lost the game everywhere else.
The Sea Dogs will return Wednesday for a 12:05 p.m. start against Harrisburg.
Portland did receive one piece of good news away from the field.
Right-handed pitcher Max Carlson was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for July 20 through July 26.
Max Carlson made two dominant relief appearances during Portland’s series against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, throwing 5.2 scoreless and hitless innings while allowing only one walk and striking out seven.
He threw 2.2 hitless innings on July 21, walking one and striking out three.
He followed with three more hitless innings on July 24, striking out four without issuing a walk.
Max Carlson is 3-2 with a 5.03 ERA in 26 appearances this season, including one start.
He has allowed 35 runs, 33 earned, over 59 innings with 13 walks and 65 strikeouts.
He became the fifth Portland pitcher to receive Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors this season and the eighth different Sea Dogs player to win a weekly award.
For the fourth consecutive week and the ninth time this season, a Portland player was recognized.
The award was deserved.
The night that followed was not.
Hartford stole everything New Hampshire failed to protect.
Worcester waited too long to finish its comeback.
Portland dominated the box score categories that look impressive and lost the ones that decide games.
That was Tuesday.
One team ran away with it.
One team nearly stole it back.
One team walked itself straight into defeat.