Powers at that plate and on the mound, Sea Dogs clobber the Rock Cats 12-1

Xander Bogaerts 3-for-4 with 2 RBI...Linares homers in his return
Portland, Maine - One night after losing 17-1, Portland pounded out 14 hits and Matt Barnes hurled six strong innings, in a 12-1 win over the Rock Cats on Friday night at Hadlock Field in front of 4,549 fans.

Barnes (1-0) set the tone on the mound, earning his first Double-A win.  Barnes, the top-pitching prospect in the Red Sox system according to Baseball America, fired six strong innings on five hits and one run.  The righty issued one walk, fanned seven and threw 50 of 75 pitches for strikes.

Portland scored four runs in their first turn off losing pitcher Blake Martin (0-1).  Xander Bogaerts starts the rally with a double and scores on a single by Travis Shaw.  J.C. Linares followed with a two-run homer in his first at-bat with Portland this season.   Michael Almanzar capped off the scoring, by clearing the message center in left-center field, his team-leading fourth home run.

The 'Dogs went to work in the fifth inning, batting around against Marty Popham and Jose Gonzalez.  Christian Vazquez nailed a two-run double; Heiker Meneses added an RBI single and Bogaerts delivered a two-run single.  Shaw (2-for-3, 3 RBI) capped off the scoring with a sac-fly.

Portland added single runs in the seventh (RBI single by Shaw) and eighth innings (Heiker Meneses run-scoring double).

Daniel Bard worked two scoreless innings on a walk and a strikeout.  Bard pitched multiple innings for the first time this season.  Pete Ruiz fanned the side in the ninth.

Prime Motor Group Player of the Game: Xander Bogaerts (3-for-4, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 BB)

The Sea Dogs and Rock Cats (Twins affiliate) continue their four-game series this afternoon at 1:00 PM from Hadlock Field. Right-hander Anthony Ranaudo (1-0, 0.90) makes his third start of the season for Portland.  Lefty Logan Darnell (1-0, 1.17) gets the starting nod for New Britain. Tickets are available online at seadogs.com or by calling 207-879-9500. Radio coverage begins at 12:40 on the U.S. Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network and via the Tune-In Radio app for smartphones and tablets.