Sea Dogs edge Rumble Ponies in pitchers’ duel

Sea Dogs Edge Rumble Ponies 1‑0 to Close Season

Portland, ME – In the Sea Dogs’ penultimate game of the 2024 season, a single home run and a dominant pitching effort carried the club to a 1‑0 victory over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Hadlock Field on Saturday night.

Will Turner broke the dead‑time with a fly ball to the right‑field seats, his 18th homer of the season, and the only hit for the Portland club. The ball passed over the fence with the ball still in play, allowing the score to stay locked at one for the remainder of the game.

Behind the mound, rookie Michael McSweeney threw a seven‑inning workhorse outing, facing only three batters in the first inning and completing the minimum in the rest of his shift. He allowed four hits – all to opponents – struck out five batters, and walked one. He was relieved in the seventh inning by veteran Steven Brooks, who retired the next six batters faced, four of them on strikeouts. Together, the two pitchers gave up a single run and were credited with a combined 1‑0 shutout.

The Sea Dogs’ offense was sparse, with Turner’s homer the lone run of the game and only one hit recorded by the club. Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras, who was in the minors for a rehab assignment, went 0‑for‑3 before being removed in the seventh inning.

The 1‑0 win secured a victory for Portland in its last but one outing of the season, setting the stage for the final game to come in the club’s 2024 campaign.