Yard Goats win ninth straight

Tyler Hill hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to rally the Hartford Yard Goats past the Sea Dogs 6-3 on Sunday afternoon in Portland, Maine, extending their winning streak to nine games.

Trailing 2-0 after the first inning, Hartford got on the board in the fifth on a two-out home run by Aaron Schunk to make it 2-1. Schunk also hit an RBI double in the eighth to give the Yard Goats a 6-2 lead.

Yard Goats starter Michael Baird have up three hits and two runs in five innings. Trent Fennell (2-1) pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the win, allowing two hits and a walk. Sea Dogs starter Brett Kennedy went six innings, giving up three hits, two runs and striking out seven.

The Yard Goats, who have won eight consecutive series and are off to the best start in franchise history (38-19), completed their first ever six-game sweep as they wrapped up the series. They are in first place in the Eastern League’s Northeast Division, 2.5 games ahead of Somerset.

The Yard Goats return home Tuesday to open a six-game series against the Akron Rubberducks at 7 p.m. Akron (32-25) is in second place in the Southwest Division.

Hartford Athletic shut out on the road: San Diego Loyal SC, playing at home for the first time in 56 days, got out to a fast start with two first-half goals and defeated Hartford Athletic 3-0 on Saturday night at Torero Stadium.

Charlie Adams scored in the 29th minute and Thomas Amang came through in the 44th minute. An own goal by Hartford’s Rashawn Dally in the 83rd minute sealed the scoring. James Slayton made two saves for the Athletic. San Diego’s Jon Kempin stopped three shots for the shutout.

Hartford coach Harry Watling was sent off with a red card early in the match. Upset about a no-call that knocked down Corey Hertzog, Watling received a yellow card in the 22nd minute. Two minutes later, he was handed a red card and had to leave the pitch. Then, just three minutes after Watling left the sideline, Hertzog was given a yellow card. San Diego capitalized, scoring shortly after.

Hartford will return home to Trinity Health Stadium on Wednesday for a midweek matchup with Memphis 901 FC at 7 p.m.