– By MARK JEANNERET

Special to the Press Herald

ERIE, Pa – Daniel Fields hit a two-out single in the bottom of the 12th to lift the Erie SeaWolves to an 8-7 win over the Portland Sea Dogs in an Eastern League baseball game Tuesday night in front of 1,961 fans at Jerry Uht Park.

Luis Castillo led-off the decisive inning by drawing a walk from Portland reliever Miguel Celestino.

One out later Eugenio Suarez reached on an error. Portland got another out, but then Fields delivered the winning hit to left field as Castillo scored from second — sliding headfirst into home well ahead of the tag.

The loss handed Portland its eighth setback in 10 games while Erie ended a six-game losing streak.

Shannon Wilkerson reached base five times to spark the Sea Dogs offense.

Wilkerson’s two-run triple in a three-run, game-tying eighth inning highlighted an evening in which the centerfielder also singled three times, walked and scored three runs.

Kolbrin Vitek started the eighth with a single and Heiker Meneses was hit by a pitch. Wilkerson smashed a triple down the first-base line to clear the bases and then scored on a wild pitch by Michael Morrison to tie it at 7-7.

The Sea Dogs (30-26) jumped on Erie starter Ramon Garcia for a 2-0 lead in the first.

Wilkerson got Portland rolling with a lead-off single and Xander Bogaerts drove him home with a double off the top of the centerfield wall. A bobbled ball by Daniel Fields allowed Bogaerts to take third on the play and Tony Thomas followed with a single to score the second run of the inning.

Portland struck again in the third. Michael Almanzar started things with a double and moved to third on a single by J.C. Linares. Travis Shaw drove Almanzar home with a single to give the Sea Dogs a 3-0 advantage.

The Sea Dogs could have inflicted even more early damage against Garcia, making his first Double-A start after starting the season in Triple-A Toledo. In the first four innings, Portland stranded eight runners.

The SeaWolves (32-24) first offensive outburst came in the third off Portland starter Anthony Ranaudo. A walk and a double put Erie runners on second and third with one out before Suarez pushed home Erie’s first run with a ground out. Hernan Perez singled to score another and Tyler Collins capped the outburst with a two-run double as the home side rallied for a 4-3 lead.

Portland chased Garcia in the fourth after he walked the first two men he faced and then surrendered a run-scoring single to Almanzar that tied the game at 4-4. Will Clinard came on in relief and retired the first two batters he faced to end the inning.

Erie moved back in front in the fifth by scoring three runs — on just two hits — to go up 7-4. The inning featured a little bit of everything and spelled the end for Ranaudo, who gave up two walks, two hits and a double steal that resulted in a run.WEDNESDAY’S GAME

WHO: Sea Dogs (Drake Britton 3-5) at Erie SeaWolves (Warwick Saupold 4-1)

WHEN: 7:05 p.m.