HARRISBURG, Pa. – Devin Ivany’s home run in the bottom of the 11th inning Sunday gave the Harrisburg Senators a 12-11 win and a four-game sweep of the Portland Sea Dogs.
It also ended a game full of Harrisburg errors and control problems for the Sea Dogs pitching staff, which found multiple ways to give up the lead.
“This whole road trip, we just haven’t been able to score enough runs to win a ballgame,” said Manager Arnie Beyeler. “We’ve had our share of not moving runners, but then when we have, our pitchers just haven’t been able to put a zero up.”
The Sea Dogs finally started hitting with runners in scoring position Sunday. Anthony Rizzo’s two-out RBI single in the first inning put Portland ahead 2-0. It also broke a string of 26 at-bats without a hit for the Sea Dogs with runners in scoring position.
Portland added four such hits in the fourth.
Two-out RBI doubles by Luis Exposito and Rizzo capped a six-run inning. Rizzo’s double appeared as if it may have cleared the wall in right-center field for a home run, but it ended up back on the field, and the umpires upheld their call after a brief conference.
Despite the big inning, the Sea Dogs’ lead was just 8-7 after four innings.
Harrisburg scored five runs in the third off Alex Wilson. Marvin Lowrance and Chris Marrero each doubled to left to open the inning. The next two batters reached via a single and a walk to load the bases for Edgardo Baez, who hit an opposite-field grand slam to put Harrisburg in front, 5-2.
Lowrance’s RBI double in the fourth scored Josh Johnson, who ran over catcher Ryan Lavarnway, allowing Lowrance to reach third and then scored on a sacrifice fly. Lavarnway finished that inning and the next before leaving for a pinch hitter in the sixth.
Exposito’s two-run double in the sixth gave Portland some breathing room, and Yamaico Navarro’s RBI double made it 11-7 in the seventh.
Sea Dogs reliever Bryce Cox, however, gave up three runs in the bottom of the seventh on three walks, a hit batsman and three wild pitches.
“We gave them three runs, and we don’t even make them swing the bat,” Beyeler said. “You can say those are wild pitches, but those balls can be blocked.”
Jason Rice took over for Cox and escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam by striking out Josh Johnson and inducing a popup by Lowrance, which third baseman Ryan Khoury caught on a dead run with his back to the infield.
But Rice surrendered Chris Marrero’s tying home run leading off the eighth. Rice kept the game tied through the ninth, and Ryne Lawson worked a scoreless 10th before surrendering Ivany’s first home run of the year.
Beyeler said Lavarnway was OK after the collision with Johnson. He also said he thought the hit, which brought the fans to their feet, was fair.
Johnson, however, said he flattened Lavarnway, who is 55 pounds heavier than Johnson, as revenge for some pitches that came in high and tight.
“I didn’t take too kindly to them throwing at me,” Johnson said. “I guess they were trying to make somebody feel uncomfortable up there, but you can hurt someone pretty badly going up and in like that.”
NOTES: Sea Dogs third baseman Ray Chang sat out after being hit on the arm with a pitch Saturday. Beyeler said X-rays were negative, but that Chang’s arm was “pretty sore.” … Center fielder Che-Hsuan Lin scored three runs for Portland. Navarro went 4 for 6 with three runs scored and two RBI, and Exposito was 4 for 5 with four RBI. Exposito finished the series 9 for 18 with 10 RBI.
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