Sea Dogs throw combined no-hitter
Wikelman Gonzalez, Brendan Cellucci, and Luis Guerrero throw a combined no-hitter for the AA Portland Sea Dogs. The 7th no-hitter in the history of the franchise, it was also the 2nd this season. With Wikelman Gonzalez making his second start for the Sea Dogs, he anchored most of the load, with Cellucci and Guerrero coming in for relief.
After two walks to begin the game, he got the swing and miss going. Escaping the first inning with no damage after a strikeout and double play, he was able to settle in for the next 4 innings. In those 4 innings, Gonzalez allowed nobody to reach base and struck out 8 of the 12 batters he faced.
The 6th inning for Gonzalez looked much like the first. Once again walking 2 batters, he was able to finish the inning, but not before surrendering a run off a New Hampshire Fisher Cat sacrifice-fly. Finishing his day with 10 strikeouts and 4 walks in his 6 innings of work on 91 pitches, he was a great tone-setter for the bullpen to take it the rest of the way.
Brendan Cellucci was the most efficient of the three pitchers on the day, walking one batter in his two innings pitched. He recorded 1 strikeout, but otherwise got his outs by way of the defense behind him. After a rocky start to his season, the left-handed pitcher has been a formidable option out of the bullpen.
Finishing it off in the 9th inning was the closer, Luis Guerrero. The Future Stars game participant did not have it easy. Walking 2 batters himself, he was forced to earn the desired end result. Striking out the 2nd batter he faced, he eventually gave up the 2nd run of the game off of another sacrifice-fly. Finally, with 2 outs, Guerrero was able to induce a ground ball that completed the no-hitter.
Now going on the road for the next two weeks, the Sea Dogs will look to carry this momentum. After leaving play on Sunday with a 15-6 record and 3.5 game lead in the Eastern League, they will continue their second-half campaign by taking on the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
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