‘Jacks take two from Allentown Freire lifts Norwich by Sea Dogs

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Juan Lebron singled home Donnie Ross with the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as the Bangor Lumberjacks edged Allentown 3-2 in Northeast League baseball Sunday.

Bangor is now 2-1 in the second-half of the season, having also beaten Allentown 9-8 on Saturday.

Ross doubled to open the sixth and scored on Lebron’s hit to break a 2-2 tie.

Bangor starter Danny Miller (2-7) allowed two unearned runs and seven hits over 7 2/3 innings to earn the win. Jeff Sparks escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning to earn his third save.

Bangor scored single runs in the first and second innings to build a 2-0 lead against Ambassadors starter John Dillinger.

Allentown tied the game with a pair of runs in the fifth, thanks in part to a pair of Bangor errors.

Lebron and Matt Tindell each had two hits to pace Bangor’s eight-hit attack.

In Saturday’s game, the Lumberjacks’ Edwin Thompson’s infield single with two outs in the top of the ninth scored Ross from third base with the game-winning run.

Martinez and Ross, who each had three hits in the game, led off the Bangor ninth with back-to-back singles against Allentown reliever Jose Guerrero (0-1). Martinez was thrown out at home on a grounder by Lorenzo de la Cruz, and Lebron popped out. Todd Brock then walked to load the bases before Thompson hit a grounder up the middle Ambassadors second baseman Jorge Diaz could stop but not gain full control, enabling Ross to score and break an 8-8 tie.

Sparks, the third of three Bangor pitchers, came on in the eighth and earned the win to improve his record to 2-0.

Bangor took a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth, but Allentown countered with five runs in the bottom of the inning, with Cedrick Harris hitting a two-run single and Diaz tripling home a run.

The Lumberjacks countered with the long ball in the top of the fifth. Ross hit a three-run shot, his seventh of the season, and Lebron added a solo home run as Bangor scored four runs to take a 6-5 lead. Bangor extended its lead to 8-5 with two runs in the sixth, but Allentown chased ‘Jacks starter Tim Rall with a run in the bottom of the inning, then tied the game with two runs off Bangor reliever Santiago Henry in the eighth.

Norwich 7, Portland 5

NORWICH, Conn. – Alejandro Freire had two hits and three RBIs to lead the Norwich Navigators to a 7-5 victory over the Portland Sea Dogs in the Eastern League Sunday.

Freire had an RBI single in the first inning as the Navigators (41-51) took a 3-0 lead, then added a two-run single in the second inning as Norwich went ahead 6-2.

Greg Montalbano (2-1) took the loss, surrendering six runs on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings.

Carlos Leon and Jeremy Owens both had three hits for the Sea Dogs (48-42). Justin Headley added two hits and two RBIs.

Justin Sherrod homered in the ninth inning for Portland, which left the bases loaded in the ninth.