PORTLAND

The Portland Sea Dogs (4-0) clubbed 13 hits and won the Eastern League series opener Monday night against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (2-2), 8-5 at Hadlock Field.

Portland is off to its best start since 2005, when the team began the season 10-0 en route to a championship.

Trailing 2-0, the Sea Dogs sent seven to the plate in a four-run third. With two runners on, Cole Sturgeon delivered an RBI single and Mike Olt followed with an RBI double. Then Rafael Devers singled to score two more runs and put Portland ahead 4-2.

Devers finished with three hits and three RBIs. Sturgeon was 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs, two runs scored, a sacrifice fly and a walk.

Sea Dogs starter Jacob Dahlstrand (W, 1-0) earned the victory in his 2017 debut. Dahlstrand allowed three earned runs on five hits in five innings and struck out one. Binghamton’s Casey Delgado (L, 0-1) also went five innings and allowed five runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Josh Smith relieved Dahlstrand and allowed two earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. Ty Buttrey (S, 1) picked up the save and struck out three over 1 1/3 innings of relief.

The Sea Dogs and Rumble Ponies meet again at Hadlock Field tonight at 6 p.m. RHP Kevin McAvoy makes his 2017 debut for Portland against RHP Mickey Jannis for Binghamton. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at seadogs.com, or by calling the box office at 207-879-9500.

Listen live on the U.S. Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network beginning at 5:45 p.m. and watch on MiLB.TV starting at 5:55 p.m.