Aneury Tavarez hit two home runs and starter Keith Couch pitched six strong innings as the Portland Sea Dogs beat the Akron Rubber Ducks 5-3 Sunday afternoon at Hadlock Field.
Danny Bethea broke a 3-3 tie with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. Bethea doubled in another run in the eighth.
The Sea Dogs improved to 44-69, while Akron dropped to 56-59.
Tavarez, who leads the Eastern League in batting with a .330 average, went 3-for-4 Sunday. He led off the bottom of the first with a home run to right field. He repeated the feat when he led off the third.
Mauricio Dubon, who was 2-for-4, doubled in the first and scored on a ground out.
Couch (8-4) retired 11 of the first 13 batters and did not allow an earned run. Akron loaded the bases on a single, error and hit-batter in the fifth. Luigi Rodriguez’s two-out, three-run double tied the game.
In the sixth, Tim Roberson single and went to third on Rainel Rosario’s double. Roberson scored on Bethea’s fly ball.
Roberson, who was 3-for-4, singled in the eighth and eventually scored on Bethea’s line drive to right center.
The Sea Dogs will be on the road the rest of the week. They return to Hadlock on Aug. 16.
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